Everything about Cananga totally explained
Ylang-ylang (ee-lang ee-lang)
Cananga odorata, is a small flower of the
cananga tree. It is a fast-growing tree that exceeds 5 meters per year and attains an average height of 12
meters. It grows in full or partial sun, and prefers the acidic soils of its native rainforest habitat. The leaves are long, smooth and glossy. The flower is greenish yellow (rarely pink), curly like a
starfish, and yields a highly fragrant
essential oil. A related species is
Cananga fruticosa, which is a dwarf ylang-ylang that grows as small tree or compact shrub with highly scented flowers. Ylang-ylang has been cultivated in temperate climates under conservatory conditions.
Its 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
et al. 1976).
The name
ylang-ylang is derived from
Tagalog, either from the word
ilang, meaning "wilderness", alluding to its natural habitat, or the word
ilang-ilan, meaning "rare", suggestive of its exceptionally delicate scent. The plant is native to the
Philippines and
Indonesia and is commonly grown in
Polynesia,
Melanesia and
Micronesia.
The
fragrance of ylang-ylang is rich and deep with notes of
rubber and
custard, and bright with hints of
jasmine and
neroli. The
essential oil of the flower is obtained through steam distillation of the flowers and separated into different grades (extra; 1; 2; 3) according to when the distillates are obtained. The main aromatic components of ylang-ylang oil is
benzyl acetate,
linalool and p-cresyl methyl ether and
methyl benzoate, responsible for its characteristic odor.
The
essential oil of ylang-ylang is used in
aromatherapy. It is believed to relieve
high blood pressure, normalize
sebum secretion for skin problems, and is considered to be an
aphrodisiac. According to
Margaret Mead, it was used as such by South Pacific natives such as the
Solomons where she did much of her research. The oil from ylang-ylang is widely used in
perfumery for oriental or floral themed perfumes (like
Chanel No. 5). Ylang-ylang blends well with most floral, fruit and wood smells. In
Indonesia, ylang-ylang flowers are spread on the bed of
newlywed couples. In the
Philippines, its flowers, together with the flowers of the
sampaguita, are strung into a necklace and worn by women and used to adorn religious images.
Ylang-ylang's essential oil makes up 29% of the
Comoros' annual export (1998).
Further Information
Get more info on 'Cananga'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://ylang-ylang.totallyexplained.com">Ylang-ylang Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
