Friday, January 6, 2012

Cananga odorata

I have an Ylang-Ylang tree (Cananga odorata) and you can see it here. The tree you see in today's photo is a different and larger (and older) tree. This tree is remarkable because it seems to have flowers all the time. Every time I walk under it and look up, I can always find its yellow flowers, as opposed to the greenish color of the flowers from my tree. The scent of this tree is delightfully mysterious and hard to describe. One way to characterize this scent is what follows:

"The fragrance of Ylang-Ylang is rich and deep with traces of rubber and custard; bright with hints of jasmine and neroli. The essential oil of the flowers is obtained through steam distillation followed by separation into different grades 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."
Cananga

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