Follow us on FACEBOOK
Dominica Botanic Gardens
  • Home
  • About
    • Introduction to Website
    • A Brief History
    • Plan of Gardens
    • Contemporary Commentary
  • Botanic Gardens
    • Selected Trees and Shrubs
    • Medicinal Plants
    • Gardens Activities
    • Florida's Fairchild Garden
    • Parrot and Small Animal Sanctuary
    • Birds of the Gardens
    • Three Virtual Tours
    • Panoramic Views Today
    • Early Panoramic Views
    • Hurricane David's Ravages
    • Future Developments
    • Curators and Administrators
    • Reports and Documents
    • Getting Involved
    • Related Links
  • Hosted Sites
    • Honorees
    • Island Scholars
    • Cabinet Photos
    • Treasures of the Cathedral
    • Diaspora Policy Paper
  • DAAS
  • Contact

Selected Trees and Shrubs
Cananga odorata, Common name: Ylang Ylang


​Plant Family: Belongs to the Annonaceae family, which includes the Sugar Apple (Annona squamosa), soursop (Annona muricata) and the Cashima or Custard Apple (Annona reticulata).

Description: Large, quick-growing, soft-wooded tree, 18-25 m tall (60-80 ft); large greenish-yellow, strongly scented flowers yielding Ylang Ylang oil; flowers have one whorl of persistent 3-segmented sepals and two whorls of petals each with three segments; sepals are small compared to the much larger petals in top two whorls; pistils remain distinct, each developing into berry-like ovoid fruit with numerous seeds, each flower giving rise to a cluster of these berries which turn black when ripe; mature trees flower and fruit almost continuously.

Natural Habitat: Favors moist valleys to 800 m in tropics (2600 ft); readily propagated by seed, more difficult by cuttings.

Origin and Distribution: Native to Tropical Asia, especially Indonesia and Phillipines.

Uses: Plant is often cultivated as an ornamental for its quick growth and exotic aroma of its flowers. Flowers yield an oil used in the popular scent known as Ylang Ylang, and also in other high grade perfumes, such as Channel #5; medicinally, oil reportedly has curative properties, being used in aroma-therapy and for slowing down rapid breathing and rapid heart rate.
​
References: 
H.F. Macmillan. Tropical Planting and Gardening. Macmillan, London 1956
Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. “Cananga odorata” in Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER), USDA Forest Service, Washington, DC 2003.
​​Gardens Introduction

​

Preface - How it Began
Introduction to Website
A Brief History
Plan of Gardens 
Contemporary Commentary​
​Trees, Shrubs, Birds

​
​
Selected Trees and Shrubs
Medicinal Plants
​
Gardens Activities
  Florida's Fairchild Garden
Parrot/Animal Sanctuary
Birds of the Gardens
Garden Views

​
​
Three Virtual Tours
Panoramic Views Today
Early Panoramic Views
 
Hurricane David's Ravages
Future Developments
Curators/Administrators
Reports and Documents
  
Getting Involved
Related Links
Sub-sites

​

Honorees
Island Scholars
Cabinet Photos
​​Treasures of the Cathedral

​Diaspora Policy Paper
​

Visit the DAAS  Website
Picture
HOME
Site by
CONTACT 
Picture

Copyright © -  Davison Shillingford, Clayton Shillingford and (the late) Raglan Riviere