Notes on kayu gharu
R.N. Bland’s “Notes on Kayu Gharu” (JSBRAS Vol. 18, 1886, pp. 359–361) documents the ethnobotanical and commercial aspects of agarwood (kayu gharu) as gathered from Malay and Pawang informants in Ulu Muar and Johol.
Summary
The note describes the tabak tree (source of gharu), the process by which the Pawang locates and harvests the diseased heart-wood, and the associated ritual formulae and taboos (p. 359–360). Bland records eight diagnostic features for identifying gharu-bearing trees in the standing state, and classifies eight varieties of the wood—chandan, tandok, menjulong-ulong, sikat, sikat lampam, bulu rusa, kemandangan, and wangkang—distinguished by density, colour, texture, and buoyancy in water (p. 361). The chandan and tandok are noted as the most valuable, priced between $200 and $50 per pikul, and used in incense and aromatic oil production by both Chinese and Malay communities (p. 361).