Cananga odorata, or ylang ylang, is a very fast-growing, straggling, pendulous evergreen tree with branches that droop in long leafy sprays that can be 3 - 6 metres long.
The tree can grow from 3 - 30 metres tall with a straight bole up to 30cm in diameter.
Ylang ylang provides a very popular essential oil with a wide range of uses. The plant also has many medicinal applications and is a source of wood and fibre. It is often cultivated in the tropics, and also protected when forest areas are cleared, for its flowers and the essential oil that can be obtained from them and also for its timber.
Ylang ylang is also grown in gardens as an ornamental plant - there is a dwarf form that grows only 1.5 metres tall.

Known Hazards

None known

Habitat

Moist evergreen forests and teak forests.
From sea level to mid-montane elevations.
Common in secondary forest formations and along forest edges in Vietnam.

Cultivation Status

Cultivated, Ornamental, Semi-cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Cananga odorata thrives in the more humid lowland tropics, where it is found at elevations below 1,200 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 30°c, but can tolerate 16 - 34°c.
It can be killed by temperatures of 5°c or lower.
It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,500 - 2,000mm, but tolerates 700 - 2,800mm.
Prefers a fertile, moist but well-drained soil in a sunny position.
Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 8.
Trees have escaped from cultivation to become naturalised in some areas.
The flowers are very fragrant, especially at night.
At sea-level, saplings of cultivated trees flower when 1.5 - 2 years old and 2 metres tall, though at an elevation of 500 metres flowering may start only after 7 years.
Trees can reach full production of essential oils when they are about 10 years old.
Individual trees can produce about 120 kilos of flowers a year, yielding about 350g of essential oil.
A dwarf variety of Cananga odorata known as var. Fruticosa (Craib) Sinclair, is a bush 1 - 1.5 metres tall, with frequently supernumerary, very curly petals. It flowers throughout the year, but never sets fruits.
There are two main groups that can be distinguished in cultivated ylang ylang plants:-
cv. Group Cananga (forma macrophylla Steenis), flowers are the source of cananga oil; branches perpendicular to the stem; leaves 20 cm x 10 cm; cultivated in Java, Fiji and Samoa.
Cv. Group Ylang-ylang (forma genuina Steenis), the source of ylang-ylang oil; branches more drooping; leaves smaller; probably originating from the Philippines and cultivated throughout the tropics.
When the buds open, the flowers are not yet fragrant and the petals are green and covered with white hairs; the petals enlarge, become glabrous and turn from green to yellow after 15 - 20 days and then the flowers emit their powerful and agreeable odour, discernible at a distance.
Both cultivated and wild trees flower throughout the year, but with marked seasonal peaks after periods of dry weather.

Edible Uses

The essential oil from the flowers is used by the food industry, especially in peach and apricot flavorings.
It is used in candies, icings, baked goods, soft drinks and chewing gum.

Medicinal

The flowers, and the essential oil obtained from them, are antipruritic, antifungal, antiseptic and sedative, relieving tension, lowering blood pressure and reducing fever.
They are also said to be aphrodisiac.
The dried flowers are used in the treatment of malaria and the fresh flowers are made into a paste for treating asthma.
Applied externally, they are used to treat skin irritations, conjunctivitis, boils and gout.
They are added to bath water to treat impotence and frigidity.
The essential oil is important in aromatherapy, where it is used in the treatment of tachycardia, rapid breathing, hypertension, gastrointestinal infections and psycho-sexual complaints.
The flowers are harvested at night time and dried for infusions or distilled for their essential oil.
The leaves are used in a treatment for diarrhoea in infants.
The leaves are also used in a remedy for treating boils.
They are rubbed on the skin to treat itch.
The bark is applied against scurf.
An infusion of the bark is used for treating stomach ailments such as pains, indigestion and colic.
Fluid from the pressed bark is used in treating toothaches and migraine headaches.
The seed has been used externally to cure intermittent fever.

Agroforestry Uses

Because of its fast growth and its ability to attract birds and bats to its fruit, it is being used for rainforest regeneration in Australia.

Other Uses

Two types of essential oil are obtained from the flowers, both of which are used to supply the dominant odour note of many perfumes.
Group 'Ylang-ylang' produces ylang-ylang oil, which has a more subtle perfume. 'Extra' quality ylang-ylang oil is much used in high-class perfumery.
Third grade ylang ylang oil has a harsher, more tenacious odour and, like cananga oil, is mainly used in soaps and toiletries for men.
Cv. Group 'Cananga' yields cananga oil which has a harsher, more tenacious odour. It can be mixed with coconut oil and used as a hair oil named Macassar oil. It is also often used in soaps and toiletries for men.
The fragrant yellow-green flowers are made into leis.
They are also used to scent coconut oil.
The fragrant flowers are used for personal adornment and decoration at festivities and other celebrations. Malaysians and Indonesians are very fond of the scent, and the women like to hide a flower in their hair. The fresh flowers are used in various ceremonies in Java and Bali. The flowers are also put away with clothes, or scattered about the bed.
The bark can be beaten to make coarse ropes.
The heartwood is pinkish-buff, yellowish to light gray; it is not differentiated from the sapwood. The texture is coarse; the grain straight; there is no distinctive odour or taste. The wood is light in weight; not very durable, being vulnerable to termite attack. It is easy to season with little or no degrade. It is said to be easy to work and finishes smoothly. The wood is used locally for general construction, turnery and making canoes, and is also used for making boxes, tea chests and plywood.
It has potential for making small drums and matchstick.
The wood is sometimes used for fuel.

Propagation

Seed - Fresh seed germinates erratically, however, after 6-12 months storage the germination rate is higher. Pre-soaking the seed in hot water can increase germination rates.
Plants may be raised in nursery beds, but should be handled with great care during transplanting to avoid damage to the long taproot.
Direct sowing is common and seed is placed 5cm deep in well-cultivated and fertilized planting pits of at least 50cm depth.
Cuttings.