Imagine

Your Channel No 5 perfume has it. Some of your expensive body massage oil also has it as well. It is a star ingredient in luxury and aromatic products. And therefore one of the most sought after flowers apart from Jasmine for its heady fragrance. It is called Ylang- Ylang. There are two varieties. This climbing Ylang-Ylang is called, Artabotrys hexapetalus. The other variety is Cananga Odorata which has similar type of fragrant flowers but is long stalked. This is a climbing vine that also has a shrubby look. The peduncle forms a hook that helps in climbing. The name “ylang-ylang” comes from the Tagalog term “ilang-ilang,” meaning “wilderness,” reflecting its natural habitat. Local names are beautiful for they describe the character of a flower. In Tamil it is called Manoranjitham meaning that which captivates the mind. It is beleieved that if you inhale the fragrance of the flower thinking of a fruit, you can smell the fruit. There are six green petals in the blooming stage which turn yellow as the flower fades making it even more aromatic. The flower is at its height of fragrance late in the evening and is pollinated by nocturnal moths and insects. A oval shaped fruit forms sometimes.