What is Agathis?

Agathis is a genus of evergreen, coniferous trees that grow primarily in the southern hemisphere, including Southeast Asia, the Western Pacific and Australia. General names for Agathis are Kauri or Dammar; The logging industry is generally referred to as commercial mahogany. The wood of Agathis has several uses, including cabinet production, boat building, music instruments and artificial limbs in recent years. It also creates a wide range of resins.

Agathis is a relatively small family of trees, of which only 21 known species. Agathis is an evergreen tree that keeps its leaves throughout the year. It is also a conifer, ie it creates pine. Mature agathis can become a relatively large and reach a height of 130 feet (about 40 m) and 10 feet (about 3 m) in diameter.

The bark of most Agathis trees has a crushed look that is cast from the trunk as it grows. The leaves are in the shape of an oval and have a thick cuticle, ie. Juvenile trees tend to have larger leaves, while ripe trees carry leaves thatare smaller. In general, the trees in the Agathis group can live from 300 to 1000 years.

Agathis wood is strong, light and odorless, which is suitable for a wide range of products. Agathis Dammara , commonly known as Dammar pine, is popularly used to make cabinets, forms and lining. Dammar pine can also be grown as an ornamental plant in tropical areas or greenhouses.

Agathis Australis, commonly known as Kauri, is exceptionally strong and light and is considered the best wood for boat building. It is also used to create piano parts and for other musical instruments. Many low cost -effective guitars are made from Kauri Wood. However, a guitar made of Kauri wood, which is 200 or more years old, is considered to be a top quality tool that can be sold by the highest dollar.

Because Agathis wood is odorless, it is considered to be the ideal wood for the production of SKRome and decorative boxes used to hold spices and tea. In the 18th century Agathis became a popular wood for the production of artificial limbs, because its lightweight weight compared to other forests. Agathis wood was generally used to produce artificial limbs until plastics became popular during World War II.

Trees in the genus Agathis also produce several useful resins. The resin is secretion from many plants, especially conifers. The resin is used in a wide range of products, including patent leather, nail polish and glue to name only a few.