Sri Lankan Oud: The Oud of the Walla Tree
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Among the oud types that emerged recently in South Asia is Sri Lankan oud, an oud that often comes from the walla tree (Gyrinops walla), a relative of Aquilaria in the same family. In this article we get to know Sri Lankan oud as the ninth of the world's oud types in our guide: its distinctive botanical source, its late emergence, and its reality between demand and regulation, in a fair language without exaggeration.
Sri Lankan oud: from the walla tree
Sri Lanka lies as an island in the Indian Ocean south of the Indian subcontinent, and it differs from most oud regions in its botanical source: for Sri Lankan oud often comes from the walla tree, whose scientific name is Gyrinops walla, and it is of a genus close to Aquilaria in the same botanical family (Thymelaeaceae). And so its oud is classified within the great aromatic family of oud, even if the botanical genus differs.
And we present Sri Lankan oud as one of the types of the world map of oud, not a preference over others. For it is a hue among the hues of oud with its distinctive source and its particular context, just like the rest of the types in this guide.
A late emergence on the oud map
Unlike the ancient oud regions such as India and Indochina, Sri Lankan oud did not become commercially known until relatively recent decades, when producers became aware that the walla tree spread across the island is able to form an aromatic resin that enters the oud trade. And from then the demand for it rose quickly, and Sri Lanka became an emerging source for oud and its oil.
And this late emergence has two faces: it is an economic opportunity for the island's farmers, but it at the same time raised fears of the excessive extraction of wild walla trees before their cultivation was organized. And so the concerned bodies moved toward controlling the cutting and encouraging sustainable cultivation.
Most oud in the world is of the Aquilaria genus, while Sri Lankan oud often comes from the Gyrinops genus (the walla tree). And the two genera are close in the same family, and so walla oud is considered a true oud, even if its botanical source differs from the usual Aquilaria.
The reality today: between demand and regulation
With the rise of demand for Sri Lankan oud, a large part of it came to be distilled into oil (dahn) exported to the markets of the Gulf and East Asia, alongside the sale of the wood. And like other oud types, walla oud is subject to the CITES framework that regulates the trade of the family's species, as we showed in the history of CITES and oud, and the island is heading toward managed cultivation as in the shift from wild to cultivated oud.
And because Sri Lankan oud is newly emerged, what is marketed under its name varies greatly between rare wild wood and newly cultivated wood, and its grades are not yet as settled as the ancient types. And this makes verifying the source and the grade more important than settling for the name of the country.
Much of Sri Lanka's production is distilled into oil exported under the name "Sri Lankan oud" or "walla oil," more than the trade of its wood pieces. And so when Sri Lankan oud is mentioned, the oil may be intended, and distinguishing it from the wood matters for price and use.
Origin is an indicator, not a final verdict
Sri Lankan oud shows that the name of the country alone is not enough for a verdict: for its botanical source differs (walla, not Aquilaria), its emergence is recent, and its grades vary between wild and cultivated. And so evaluating the piece by its qualities — the genus of its tree, its source, its method of production, its grade, and its scent character — remains more honest than settling for its attribution to the island.
And in the following axis we move to another archipelago in East Asia: Philippine oud.
Oud comes from more than one botanical genus (Aquilaria, Gyrinops, and others) within a single family. And so the difference of genus — as in the Sri Lankan walla — does not take the wood out of being oud, but it reminds us that "oud" is a name for an aromatic family, not for a particular tree.
We specialize in Indonesian oud directly from its source, and we state the genus of its tree, its origin, and its grade honestly. Begin with a sample by which you test the scent, the origin, and the grade.
Browse natural oudRequest a sampleThis article is the ninth axis of oud types by country of origin, and it is preceded by Thai oud.
And for the framework regulating the oud trade see the history of CITES and oud, and for the shift to cultivation the shift from wild to cultivated oud.
