Description
The species is commonly cultivated in tropical regions for its use as an ornamental roadside or garden tree, in food flavouring, as a timber source and for the essential oils which are extracted from its fully opened flowers.
It is for the essential oils that the species is considered a good agroforestry species and was introduced to non-native places including Guam, Comoros Island, Reunion Island and Fiji.
The flowers provide two essential oils, ylang-ylang oil, used in expensive perfumery and cananga oil, used in cheaper perfumes and for scenting soaps.
Statistics from the late 1980s reported the world production of Cananga Odorata oil to be an estimated $7 billion for ylang-ylang oil and $1.35 billion for cananga oil.
Locally, the flowers of Cananga odorata are often used in traditional ceremonies, to adorn and scent hair, and as decorations in celebrations and festivals. The bark can be used to make coarse rope in Sulawesi but its wood is non-durable and mainly used to make boxes.
The species is also known to be sold and used for folk medicine. Medicinal uses include treatment of boils, as a carminative, for treatment of cephalgia, diarrhea, gout, malaria, eye problems, rheumatism and as an emmenagogue.