沈香屬常綠喬木，原產南亞至東南亞。樹皮深灰，樹皮有片狀剝落。互生近革質卵狀披針形葉，表面翠綠有光澤，葉背色澤較淡有絨毛。雌雄異花同株，常簇生排列成繖房花序；乳黃色花瓣5枚，略反捲。果實似梨形，堅實有稀疏絨毛；果皮可分成兩邊，各有一顆深褐色種子。3~6月間開花結果。

An evergreen tree in the genus Aquilaria, native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. Bark dark gray and flaky. Alternate leaves nearly leathery, ovate-lanceolate, with greenish-glossy surfaces and lighter fluff on the back. Monoecious, flowers often clustered into a corymb; 5 milky yellow petals, slightly reversed. Fruit pear-shaped with sparse fluff; pericarp divided into two splits with a dark brown seed each. Flowering and fruiting from March to June.

全日照、半日照均可生長良好，土壤以富含有機質砂質壤土為佳，排水需良好。以種子或扦插繁殖。

The plant can adapt in full sun or partial sun conditions and thrives in well-drained sandy loam with rich organic matter. Reproduced from seeds or cuttings.

可作園景觀樹、盆栽、行道樹。木材作香料用。沈香最常被用作藥材、薰香或香水。樹皮纖維柔韌，色白而細緻可做高級紙的原料及人造棉。

Suitable to be planted in gardens, pots and roadsides. The wood can be used as a spice. Agarwood is mostly used as medicine, incense or perfume. The bark fibers are pliable but tough, white-colored and delicate and can be used as raw materials to produce premium paper and rayon.