Cananga odorata, known as ylang-ylang ( ) or cananga tree, is a tropical tree that is native and originated to the Philippines and spreads to Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Queensland, Australia. It is also native to parts of Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. It is valued for the essential oils extracted from its flowers (also called "ylang-ylang"), which has a strong floral fragrance. Ylang-ylang is one of the most extensively used natural materials in the perfume industry, earning it the name "Queen of Perfumes". The ylang-ylang vine (Artabotrys odoratissimus) and climbing ylang-ylang (Artabotrys hexapetalus) are woody, evergreen climbing plants in the same family. Artabotrys odoratissimus is also a source of perfume. Etymology and nomenclature The name ylang-ylang is the Spanish spelling of the Tagalog term for the tree, - a reduplicative form of the word , meaning "wilderness", alluding to the tree's natural habitat. A common mistranslation is "flower of flowers". The tree is also called the fragrant cananga, Macassar-oil plant, or perfume tree. It is called kenanga in Malay, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kanaŋa. Its traditional Polynesian names include Mataoi (Cook Islands), Mohokoi (Tonga), Mosooi (Samoa), Motooi (Hawaii), and Mokosoi, Mokasoi or Mokohoi (Fiji). Description Cananga odorata is a fast-growing tree of the custard apple family Annonaceae. Its growth exceeds per year, and it attains an average height of in an ideal climate. The compound evergreen leaves are pinnate, smooth and glossy, and long. Leaflets are oval, pointed and with wavy margins. The flower is drooping, long-stalked, with six narrow, greenish-yellow (rarely pink) petals, rather like a sea star in appearance, and yields a highly fragrant essential oil. Its pollen is shed as permanent tetrads. Cananga odorata var. fruticosa, dwarf ylang-ylang, grows as small tree or compact shrub. Distribution and habitat The plant is native to the Malesian ecoregion, from parts of Mainland Southeast Asia (Thailand and Vietnam), to Maritime Southeast Asia (the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia), Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and to Queensland, Australia. It has been introduced to other tropical regions in the Pacific Islands, South Asia, Africa, and the Americas. It is commonly grown in Madagascar, Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and the Comoros Islands. It grows in full or partial sun, and prefers the acidic soils of its native rainforest habitat. Ylang-ylang has been cultivated in temperate climates under conservatory conditions. In Madagascar, it is grown in plantations with Hewittia malabarica as a groundcover plant.