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Family:Annonaceae
This handsome tropical tree reaching 80 ft (24 m) in the wild has
pendulous, rather brittle branches and large, glossy green leaves.
The flowers, with their long, twisted, drooping, greenish yellow
petals and extraordinarily heavy perfume, appear mostly in fall
(autumn) in thick clusters at the leaf axils, and are followed by
small greenish fruit.
The ylang ylang (its Malay name) is widely cultivated in Hawaii for
the perfume industry.
Cultivation: Like their relatives the custard apple and soursop (see
Annona), they are easily cultivated in a sheltered, shaded position.
They prefer a moist, humus-rich soil.
Propagation is from seed or cuttings.
Medical use:Leaves used to soothe skin itch; paste made from fresh
flowers applied for asthma; dried flowers effective for intermittent
fever, stomach disorders and boils. Bark remedies scable, ascites
lymph swelling and as liniment. Flower consumed as aromatic and
against malaria. Seed used externally for fever. In Indonesia,cures
scable: kudis. Also for ulcers. |
