By itself, the wood is quite soft and lacks any special fragrance. Research has shown that various species of Aquilaria (family Thymelaeaceae) can produce agarwood, including several varieties native to Malaysia, India and mainland China.
這類香樹本身並無特殊香味，而且木質鬆軟，據現在的研究，瑞香科沉香屬的幾種樹木，如馬來沉香樹、莞香樹、印度沉香樹等，都可以「結」出沉香。