Annonaceae
Cananga

Cananga odorata (Lam.) Hook.f. & Thomson

First published in Fl. Ind. 1: 130 (1855)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Indo-China to Queensland. It is a tree and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome. It is used to treat unspecified medicinal disorders, as animal food, a medicine and invertebrate food, has environmental uses and social uses and for fuel and food.

Descriptions

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean, Orinoquia, Pacific. Elevation range: 100–2220 m a.s.l. Cultivated in Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Boyacá, Caldas, Caquetá, Cundinamarca, Meta, Quindío, Santander, Valle del Cauca, Vichada.
Habit
Small tree.
Conservation
IUCN Red List Assessment (2021): LC.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, native grassland, artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Annonaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit
Tree 6–18(–33) m. tall, with pale grey bark; young twigs minutely pubescent, later glabrous, dark-coloured and striate.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades ovate-oblong or elliptic-oblong, 10–21 cm. long, 4–10 cm. wide, often obliquely acuminate at the apex, broadly cuneate, rounded or truncate at the base, somewhat pubescent on the midrib and nerves; venation prominent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers drooping in 2–6-flowered racemes, very sweetly scented.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals green at first, then pale yellow, with a purple-brown spot at the base inside, linear-lanceolate, (2.5–)5–7.5(–8.7) cm. long, 5–7(–14) mm. wide, minutely pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Monocarps 10–16, ellipsoid or oblong-obovoid, 1.5–2.3 cm. long, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds pale brown, oblong-elliptic in outline, flattened, 9 mm. long, 6 mm. wide, 2.5 mm. thick, with rugose or pitted faces.
Figures
Fig. 15, p. 65.
Habitat
Plantations, native cultivations, and also in bushland and thicket near villages; 0–750 m.
Distribution
K7 T3 T6 Z native in eastern tropics from India to N. Queensland and Philippine Is.,widely cultivated as “ylang-ylang” in lowland tropical Africa and also recorded as being cultivated in the W. Indies and Central America
[FTEA]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
cadmia, cadmio, camay, cananga, flor de amor, ilán ilán, ilang ilang, ilanga ilang, ilanilán
[UNAL]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 100 - 2220 m.; Andes, Orinoquia, Pacífico.
Morphology General Habit
Arbolito
[CPLC]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/61984545/156221485

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Distribution
Cultivated in Colombia.
Ecology
Alt. 100 - 2220 m.
Morphology General Habit
Tree.
[UPB]

Uses

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Fuel
Used for fuels.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Invertebrate Food
Used as invertebrate food.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
Use Social
Social uses.
[UPFC]

Use Materials
Materials (State of the World's Plants 2016).
Use Materials Unspecified Materials Chemicals
Materials (State of the World's Plants 2016).
Use Medicines Unspecified Medicinal Disorders
Medicinal (State of the World's Plants 2016).
[UPB]

Common Names

English
Ylang Ylang

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants of Boyacá Project

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0