Cananga latifolia (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Cananga latifolia (Hook.f. & Thomson) Finet & Gagnepain

Family: Annonaceae

Synonyms

• Canangium latifolium (Hook.f. & Thomson) Ridley,
• Unona brandisana Pierre,
• U. latifolia Hook.f. & Thomson.

Vernacular names

• Cananga (En, Fr).
• Peninsular Malaysia: kenanga, tho shui tree
• Thailand: nao (northern), khae saeng (eastern), raap (peninsular)
• Vietnam: cây tai nghe, thôm shui, sư tây.

Distribution

Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Indo-China and northern Peninsular Malaysia.

Uses

The fragrant flowers can be used like those of ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata (Lamk) Hook.f. & Thomson), but the oil is of no commercial importance. The wood is considered to act as febrifuge.

Observations

• Deciduous tree, 10-20 m tall.
• Leaves alternate; petiole 1-1.5 cm long; blade ovate-oblong, 9-15 cm × 8.5-12 cm, finely, silvery, woolly-haired especially below.
• Inflorescence a raceme with 1-3 fragrant flowers, opposite the leaves of young branches.
• Sepals 3, petals 6, lanceolate, greenish; stamens numerous; carpels many, hairy, with 4-locular ovary, a short fine style and a thick stigma.
• Fruit consisting of many separate carpels; monocarp ovoid, 1.4 cm long, torulose, containing 2-4 seeds.

Flowering is from May to July.

Selected sources

• Crevost, C., Lemarié, C. & Pétélot, A., 1917-1941. Catalogue des produits de l'Indochine [Catalogue of the products of Indo-China]. 6 Volumes. Gouvernement Général de l'Indochine, Hanoi, Vietnam.
• Groom, N., 1997. The new perfume handbook. 2nd edition. Blackie Academic & Professional, London, United Kingdom. 435 pp.
• Lecomte, M.H. & Gagnepain, F. (Editors), 1907-1950. Flore générale de l'Indo-Chine [General flora of Indo-China]. 7 volumes and supplements. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
• Sinclair, J., 1955. A revision of the Malayan Annonaceae. The Gardens' Bulletin, Singapore 14: 149-516.
• Whitmore, T.C. & Ng, F.S.P. (Editors), 1972-1989. Tree flora of Malaya. A manual for foresters. 4 Volumes. 2nd Edition. Malayan Forest Records No 26. Longman Malaysia Sendirian Berhad, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Authors

P.C.M. Jansen