I had a difficult time choosing a spot for the Ylang-ylang tree that I planted today. I searched around for a sunny spot for a large-ish tree that’s not too windy, and a spot that wont block the view. I’ve been also searching for this particular tree for a while now but I finally found one last week at a nursery in Puna.
Ylang-ylang is actually an Annonaceae so it’s related to soursop and rollinia which makes sense because the flowers look kinda similar. But instead of delicious fruits, ylang-ylang produces very fragrant flowers used as an essential oil for aromatherapy and also an ingredient in perfumes like Chanel No. 5. The smell is intoxicating and can be intense so I had to choose a spot not too close the house or our neighbors. But come to think of it, when all the durians, marang, and champedek start producing this place will smell pretty gnarly (or amazing to some).
The ylang-ylang fruits are small, black and berry-like and apparently birds love to feast on it so maybe it can eventually become part of the 🦆 duck people’s diet.
Originally posted on 2021-04-29, part of the daily planting journal behind Ha’a Chocolate’s food forest on Hawai’i Island.