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Cananga odorata
Annonaceae FAMILY

Cananga odorata

Cananga odorata

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthFast

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[1]. It can be killed by temperatures of 5°c or lower[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,500 - 2,000mm, but tolerates 700 - 2,800mm[1]. Prefers a fertile, moist but well-drained soil in a sunny position[2, 3]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 8[1]. Trees have escaped from cultivation to become naturalised in some areas[3]. The flowers are very fragrant, especially at night[4]. 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[5]. Trees can reach full production of essential oils when they are about 10 years old[1]. Individual trees can produce about 120 kilos of flowers a year, yielding about 350g of essential oil[6]. 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[5]. 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[5]. 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[5]. 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[5]. Both cultivated and wild trees flower throughout the year, but with marked seasonal peaks after periods of dry weather[5].

Propagation

Seed - Fresh seed germinates erratically, however, after 6-12 months storage the germination rate is higher-303]. Pre-soaking the seed in hot water can increase germination rates[5]. Plants may be raised in nursery beds, but should be handled with great care during transplanting to avoid damage to the long taproot[5]. Direct sowing is common and seed is placed 5cm deep in well-cultivated and fertilized planting pits of at least 50cm depth[5]. Cuttings Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Cananga+odorata>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  2. [2]Tropical Ornamentals; A Guide — Whistler. W. Arthur. · Timber Press Inc. Oregon. · 2000 · ISBN 0-88192-448-2 ↩︎An excellent little guide to some of the more commonly cultivated ornamental plants of the Tropics, often giving some information on the plants other uses.
  3. [3]Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide. — Barwick. M. · Thames & Hudson, London · 2004 · ISBN 0-500-51181-0 ↩︎A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life.
  4. [4]Plants of Guam — Moore P.H. & McMakin P. · University of Guam. · 1979 · http://university.uog.edu/cals/people/POG/scipn.htm ↩︎Brief details, usually with a photo, of plants native to the island of Guam, often together with some information on their uses. An online version is available.
  5. [5]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  6. [6]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  7. [7]Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands — Little E.L.; Wadsworth F.H. · USDA, Forest Service; Washington. · 1964 ↩︎Contains detailed information, and usually an illustration, on 250 tree species, including both native and exotic species.
  8. [8]Trees of Laos and Vietnam - A Field Guide to 100 species. — Hoang Van Sam; Khamseng Nanthavong; Kessler P.J.A. · Blumea · 2004 ↩︎A detailed guide, with excellent line-drawings, to 100 of the more important trees of Laos and Vietnam. A very good work, giving lots of information about each plant. Originally published in the journal Blumea, it is available as a PDF on the Interne
  9. [9]Medicinal Plants in the South Pacific — WHO Regional Publications, Manilla. · 1998 · ISBN 92-9061-118-9 ↩︎Excellent guide to 102 medicinal herbs of the Pacific Islands, with photographs of each plant and details of their constituents, biological activities and traditional uses. A description of each plant, together with habitat and distribution is given.
  10. [10]Agroforestry in the Pacific Islands: Systems for Sustainability — W.C. Clarke and R.R. Thaman (Editors) · United Nations University Press, Tokyo · 1993 · http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/80824e/80824E00.htm#Contents · ISBN 92-808-0824-9 ↩︎The guide includes information on 100 species of plants for Agroforestry. It is also available on the web at the address given above.
  11. [11]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
  12. [12]Tropical Timbers of the World. Ag. Handbook No. 607. — Chudnoff. Martin. · USDA Forest Service. Wisconsin. · 1984 ↩︎Terse details on the properties of the wood of almost 400 species of trees from the Tropics.