Fragrant Cananga / Scented Ylang-Ylang
Cananga odorata
Also known as Langilangi, Maramar, Perfume Tree
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
How to identify Fragrant Cananga
Identify Fragrant Cananga by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Long drooping star-shaped fragrant flowers (ylang-ylang perfume tree).
- Confirm leaf type: Pinnately compound.
- Confirm leaf shape: Ovate.
- Confirm flower colour: Greenish-yellow drooping.
- Confirm flower arrangement: Panicle.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: Throughout the year.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Cananga odorata
- Genus
- Cananga
- Family
- Annonaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Cultivated
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Native to
- Tropics and Sub-tropics
- Distribution
- Eastern Tropics from India to N.Queensland & Philippines; Throughout Malesia
- Found in India
- Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Pinnately compoundrecordedLeaflets are arranged in rows along a central stalk, like a feather.“The compound evergreen leaves are pinnate;” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf shape
- OvaterecordedEgg-shaped, broader near the base.“the leaflets are ovate and pointed and with wavy margins.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf margin
- UndulaterecordedA wavy, rippled edge.“the leaflets are ovate and pointed and with wavy margins.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Fragrant Cananga itself; the rest are typical of the Annonaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Greenish-yellow droopingrecorded
- Flower arrangement
- PaniclerecordedA branching cluster of clusters.“The inflorescences occur in the or on the branches, and take the form of a cyme or panicle.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Solitary
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Fragrant Cananga itself; the rest are typical of the Annonaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Bengali
- অপরূপ চাঁপা, কানাঙ্গা
- Tamil
- க்ட்டு சம்பகம் Kattu chempakam, மனோரஞ்சிதம், க்ட்டு சம்பகம்
- Telugu
- Apurva champakame, Chettu sampangi
- Malayalam
- ലാംഗി ലാംഗി, Cananga odorata, Fragrant cananga
- Marathi
- Chape
About Fragrant Cananga
A member of the Annonaceae family, Scented Ylang-Ylang (Cananga odorata) is a tree. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat and 2 other states. It is cultivated. It flowers and fruits through much of the year.
Uses
It is distilled for an aromatic oil.
Annonaceae
Custard apple family
Fragrant Cananga belongs to the Annonaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Annonaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Fragrant Cananga or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides