Rank Genus | ||
 | ||
Similar Aquilaria, Gyrinops walla, Aetoxylon, Aquilaria hirta, Gonystylus | ||
Wallapatta gyrinops walla by mr thilak kandegama
Gyrinops is a genus of eight species of trees, called lign aloes or lign-aloes trees, in the Thymelaeaceae family. They are native to Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent.
Contents
The genus Gyrinops is closely related to Aquilaria and in the past all species were considered to belong to Aquilaria.
Agarwood production
Together with Aquilaria the genus is best known as the principal producer of the resin-suffused agarwood. The depletion of wild trees from indiscriminate cutting for agarwood has resulted in the trees being listed and protected as an endangered species.
Projects are currently underway in some countries in southeast Asia to infect cultivated trees artificially to produce agarwood in a sustainable manner. In Indonesia, for example, there have been proposals to encourage the planting of gahara, as it is known as locally, in eastern Indonesia, particularly in the province of Papua.
Species
