“Sheesh, is it ever gonna cool off” was the thought in my mind as I was strolling down Simonton street in Key West, ”91 degrees and 75 percent humidity, is the fall ever gonna get here? It’s October, it’s only noon, I’m on my 2nd. tee shirt and I still smell like a locker room.”
A gentle breeze picked up as I crossed the tiny alleyway known as Free School Lane when suddenly I was inundated with fragrance, far more magical than my gym bag scented shirt.
Flashing back to my last horrid encounter at a Macy’s cosmetics no mans zone, I looked around for an overly made up young woman, tottering on stiletto heels, wielding an atomizer loaded with Channel No. 5. No such department store terrorist was in sight.
I decided to follow my nose down Free School and before me was a lovely tree with long, smooth, glossy leaves.
Yep, it is a Ylang-Ylang (Cananga odorata), a tree that can reach 30’-40’ although this one is about 20’. The yellowish-greenish, 5 pointed flowers cover this nifty tree in groups that cascade down branches. They don’t really hang down but are close to the branch. This fine flowering tree is native to the Pacific Island and does well in the Florida Keys.
Coco Chanel made this tree famous in 1923 by introducing Chanel #5 in Paris saying, "I wanted a perfume that is composed - not hints of roses or lilies of the valley. A woman's perfume - redolent, evocative of a woman. A perfume unlike any other ever made. The ideal scent for a woman."
The Ylang-Ylang is the principle component in this classic perfume.
I guess I’m not as romantic or well spoken as ol’Coco because all I could think of was “This sure smells better than my tee shirt!”
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5 comments:
A very interesting post. It's great to see the plant that goes into the perfumes. I have one of those. The osmanthus bush, which blooms for me in the winter. Wonderful scent.
Ooh. I'm not quite sure what this smells like, but I was right there with you, strolling along and coming across that beautiful fragrant flower in the tree. What a cool time visiting your Key West blog!
We had fun today! Scott did not describe the heat and humidity well enough. It was so hot that, it was one of the factors that caused us to skip our planned bike ride through the island today. The Carnival Cruise ship that was docked and spewed way too many tourist was also a factor.
Anxiety! Mass pandemonia!
You do live in paradise.
Check out Liz and Scott's yard:
http://joec66.blogspot.com/2009/10/orchids-bromeliads-or-other-plants-in.html
Hello Scott. What an interesting tree. Thank you for sharing your discovery. I am with you in regards to the heat, but it was 82 today with 10% humidity - finally!
As an aromatherapist, Ylang Ylang essential oil is one I use quite often. It was great to see what the plant actually looks like. I did not know it could grow in the U.S. Great Post.
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