Am,  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
Mar.,  1881.  J 
Ylang-Ylang  Oil. 
125 
Cananga  odorata  is  a  tree  attaining  a  height  of  60  feet,  with  few  but 
richly  ramified  branches.  The  leaves,  which  are  arranged  in  two  rows, 
on  short  petioles  and  longly  pointed,  attain  a  length  of  18  centimeters 
and  a  breadth  of  about  7  cm. ;  the  surface  of  the  leaf  is  somewhat 
firm,  and  only  on  the  under  side,  along  the  nerves,  slightly  downy. 
The  beautiful  and  imposing  flowers  amount  to  as  many  as  four,  upon 
short  pedicels.  The  three  lobes  of  the  leathery  calyx  are  finally  turned 
back.  The  six  lanceolate  flat  petals  grow  to  a  length  of  7  cm.  and  a 
width  of  about  12  millimeters,  are  longitudinally  nerved,  of  a  green- 
ish color,  and,  when  dried,  dark  brown.  The  somewhat  bell-shaped, 
gracefully  declining  flowers,  present  a  quite  pretty  aspect,  although 
the  flowers  of  other  related  plants  are  far  more  attractive. 
The  filaments  of  Cananga  are  very  numerous ;  the  somewhat  ele- 
vated receptacle  is  flatly  depressed  at  the  vertex.  The  green  berry- 
like fruit  consists  of  from  15  to  20  distinct  carpels,  on  rather  long 
pedicels,  and  enclosing  from  3  to  8  seeds,  arranged  in  two  rows.  The 
umbel-like  inflores(;ence  is  situated  in  the  axils  of  the  leaves,  or  arises 
from  the  nodes  of  leafless  branches.  The  fleshy  portion  of  the  fruit 
is  sweetish  and  aromatic ;  the  flowers  possess  the  most  excellent  per- 
fume, which  is  often  compared  with  the  hyacinth,  narcissus  and  clove. 
Cananga  odorata,  according  to  Hooker  and  Thomson  and  Bentham 
and  Hooker,  is  the  only  species  of  this  genus ;  the  plants,  which  were 
formerly  classed  together  with  it  under  the  name  of  Unona  or  Uvaria, 
and  of  which  some  likewise  have  flowers  possessing  a  pleasant  odor, 
are  retained  in  these  two  genera,  which  are  quite  rich  in  species.  From 
Uvaria  the  Cananga  is  distinguished  by  the  valvate  corolla,  and  from 
Unona  by  the  double-rowed  arrangement  of  the  seed. 
Cananga  odorata  is  distributed  throughout  entire  southern  Asia,  but 
principally  as  a  cultivated  plant.  In  the  primitive  forest  the  tree 
grows  much  higher,  but  the  flowers,  according  to  Blum,  are  almost 
odorless.  In  its  habitus  Cananga  resembles  Michelia  champaca,  JAn.^ 
nat.  ord.  Magnoliacese,  a  tree  of  India  much  admired  on  account  of  • 
the  very  pleasant  odor  of  its  yellow  flowers.  Among  the  flowers 
which  exhale  a  pleasant  perfume,  and  to  which  the  Javanese  in  this 
respect  are  much  accustomed,  those  to  which  the  preference  is  given  by 
them,  are  in  the  first  line  the  Tjempaka,"  Michelia  champaka,  and 
the    Kenan gga  wangi,''  Cananga  odorata. 
It  is  not  known  to  the  author  whether  the  oil  of  Cananga  was  pre- 
pared in  former  times ;  it  appears  to  have  first  reached  Europe  about 
