One of the most interesting trees in our yard is the ylang ylang. The flowers range from dull light yellow to tan with long floppy petals. They look more like floppy spiders than something with a divine perfume!
This was very hard to photograph. The tree is only about 15 feet tall, but it is on a slope and I couldn’t get to a position with a good angle.
About the only flower I can think of that smells anything similar to ylang ylang is the gardenia by the front door. The ylang ylag is on the side right by the screen porch and gardenia in the front by the screen door and windows giving us lovely scented breezes inside.
This article from the South Florida Plant Guide has better pictures of the tree and its flowers. According to the guide people in zone 10 – which is Florida and parts of California, Hawaii – can probably grow the tree although it is sensitive to cold winds or frost and the branches may break in strong winds.
Today ylang ylang is a major perfume component in several popular scents, most famously in Chanel #5. People use the essential oil in aroma therapy and it may have medicinal uses and is used for calming. Per the National Institutes of Health components of the oil may be effective for depression, high blood pressure, and anxiety and would warrant further study.
Ylang ylang is not native to the Caribbean but originally from Malaysia, Queensland, Philippines and countries and islands nearby. Today Madagascar and Comoros are major sources for the essential oil – I imagine walking through a plantation would be overpowering!
For us, the fragrance is delightful, wafting in on the nearly-constant breeze.
Leave a Reply