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Cananga odorata, known as ylang-ylang ( ) or cananga tree, is a tropical tree that is native to the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Queensland, Australia. It is also native to parts of Thailand and Vietnam. It is valued for the extracted from its flowers (also called "ylang-ylang"), which has a strong Floral scent fragrance. Ylang-ylang is one of the most extensively used natural materials in the perfume industry, earning it the name "Queen of Perfumes".NPCS Board of Consultants & Engineers (2025). 9788190439886, Niir Project Consultancy Services. ISBN 9788190439886 (1992). 9781851668724, Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd.. ISBN 9781851668724 (2025). 9781351089579, CRC Press. ISBN 9781351089579
A related plant in the same family, the climbing ylang-ylang vine, Artabotrys hexapetalus (synonym A. odoratissimus) is a woody, evergreen climbing plant, which is also a source of perfume.
The tree is also called the fragrant cananga, Macassar-oil plant, or perfume tree.p. 12 In: Vanoverbergh, Morice (1968). Iloko-English Dictionary:Rev. Andres Carro's Vocabulario Iloco-Español. Catholic School Press, Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Baguio City, Philippines. 370pp. It is called kenanga in Malay language, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian * kanaŋa. Its traditional Polynesian names include mataoi (Cook Islands), mohokoi (Tonga), mosooi (Samoa), motooi (Hawaii), and mokosoi, mokasoi or mokohoi (Fiji). Other traditional names include sampangi (Telugu language).
Cananga odorata var. fruticosa, dwarf ylang-ylang, grows as small tree or compact shrub.
In Madagascar, it is grown in plantations with Hewittia malabarica as a groundcover plant.
In Indonesia, ylang-ylang flowers are spread on the bed of marriage couples. In the Philippines, its flowers, together with the flowers of the sampaguita, are strung into a necklace ( lei) and worn by women and used to adorn religious images.
Ylang-ylang's essential oil makes up 29% of the Comoros' annual export (1998).
Ylang-ylang is grown in Madagascar and exported globally for its essential oils.
Ylang-ylang essential oil is one of the basic ingredients of macassar oil.
Ecology
Its clusters of black fruit are an important food item for birds, such as the collared imperial pigeon, purple-tailed imperial pigeon, Zoe's imperial pigeon, superb fruit dove, pink-spotted fruit dove, coroneted fruit dove, orange-bellied fruit dove, and wompoo fruit dove.Frith, H.J.; Rome, F.H.J.C. & Wolfe, T.O. (1976): Food of fruit-pigeons in New Guinea. Emu 76(2): 49-58. HTML abstract The Knobbed hornbill serves as an effective seed disperser for C. odorata.
Uses
The essential oil is used in aromatherapy. It is believed to relieve high blood pressure and normalize sebum secretion for skin problems, and is considered to be an aphrodisiac. The oil from ylang-ylang is widely used in for oriental- or floral-themed perfumes (such as Chanel No. 5). Ylang-ylang blends well with most floral, fruit, and wood scents.
Ylang-ylang essential oil
Characteristics
The fragrance of ylang-ylang is rich and deep with notes of rubber and custard, and bright with hints of jasmine and neroli, thus it is sometimes described as heavy, sweet, and carries a slightly fruity floral scent. The essential oil of the flower is obtained through steam distillation of the flowers and separated into different grades (extra, 1, 2, or 3) according to when the distillates are obtained. The main aromatic components of ylang-ylang oil are benzyl acetate, linalool, p-cresyl methyl ether, and methyl benzoate, responsible for its characteristic odor.Manner, Harley and Craig Elevitch, Traditional Tree Initiative: Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry (2006), Permanent Agricultural Resources, Honolulu, Hi.
Chemical constituents
Typical chemical compositions of the various grades of ylang-ylang essential oil are reported as:
See also
Further reading
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