Kauri Resins—Modern and Fossil

Abstract

The genus Agathis, a group of conifers found in the land areas between New Zealand and Malaysia, has several conspicuous resin-forming systems. Thus, the New Zealand species Agathis australis (Salisbury) produces resins, often in very large amount, in the heartwood, in resin canals in the bark, in resin canals in the leaves, in the leaf surface layers, and elsewhere. These resins are all different and are mostly quite complex mixtures. In addition to the straight-forward chemical problems associated with the Agathis resins, particular interest is attached to the biosynthesis, evolution and function of these products. Also of interest is the way in which the chemical variations of the products are related to the development of the genus under the influence of major geological events and changes in environment. Bled resin exudes quite liberally from cut and damaged surfaces of the bark of all species of the genus. It is usually very durable and lumps of "fossil" resin are found in the ground in areas where these trees have grown. The age of this material present in the surface layers probably ranges from tens to thousands of years. Kauri resin from A. australis and Manila resin ** from Agathis species in the Indonesia-Phillipines area have been in the past of considerable commercial significance because of their use in the manufacture of varnishes and linoleum but * Present address: Organic Chemistry Dept., LTH, Lund, Sweden. ** Manila resin is also called Manila copal or East Indies copal and local varieties may be named after their port of origin, e.g., Pontianak. Bled resin from A. australis is known commercially as kauri resin or kauri gum.