canangan.
/kəˈnaŋɡə/, U.S. /kəˈnɑŋɡə/ A tropical evergreen tree of the genus Cananga (family Annonaceae), spec. C. odorata, native to rainforests of south Asia but introduced and cultivated elsewhere for its strongly scented, drooping flowers with long, narrow, yellow-green petals, which are used to produce an essential oil; (in form Cananga) the genus itself. Also: a flower of this tree.Cananga oil has a scent similar to that of ylang-ylang oil, which is distilled from the flowers of the subspecies C. odorata genuina, but is regarded as inferior to it. Cf. ylang-ylang n.
ΚΠ
1773 D. Henry Hist. Acct. Voy. Eng. Navigators IV. 82 The cananga looks more like a bunch of leaves than a flower; its smell is singular, but extremely pleasant.
1783 W. Marsden Hist. Sumatra 86 The canango, being a tree of the largest size, and surpassed by few in the forest, may well take the lead..in a description of those which bear flowers.
1799 J. Hawkesworth Addr. to Asiatic Soc. (ed. 2) 13 Bestow him from Canango scented groves.
1848 Critic 12 Feb. 97/2 The well-known and now widely-distributed scents of Kananga (Uvaria), Champaka (Michelia), Melur (Jasminum), and many others.
1856 Leisure Hour 17 July 459/1 The canango, a tree of the largest size, bears a profusion of greenish-yellow flowers.
1892 Schimmel & Co. Semi-Ann. Rep. Oct. 11 This is to be attained by discontinuing the distillation of the cananga flowers after a certain period.
1929 H. A. A. Nicholls & J. H. Holland Text-bk. Trop. Agric. (ed. 2) ii. xx. 611 Cananga or Ylang Ylang. Cananga odorata. A tree, cultivated in the Philippines, Java, India, &c.
1971 Econ. Bot. 25 436/2 Species of Cananga from the Yalu region in New Guinea are said to contain alkaloids.
1977 R. B. Tisserand Art of Aromatherapy xi. 288 It has been suggested that cananga and ylang-ylang are the same plant, but its cultivation in different parts of the world produces slight differences in the essential oil.
2006 Financial Times 29 July 42/3 The Exotic Cananga Salt Glow is highly recommended.
Compounds
General attributive.
cananga oil n. an aromatic essential oil derived from the flowers of a cananga tree of the subspecies Cananga odorata macrophylla, used in aromatherapy, perfumery, and as a flavouring agent in food. [Compare post-classical Latin oleum canangae (1722 or earlier).]
ΚΠ
1881 F. B. Power tr. F. A. Flückiger in Amer. Jrnl. Pharmacy 53 123 (title) Notes on Cananga Oil, or Ylang-Ylang Oil.
1980 J. M. Coetzee Waiting for Barbarians ii. 46 I visit her in her little room, bringing presents of cananga oil.
2016 P. Holmes Aromatica I. 363 Cananga oil has a harsher floral fragrance with more woody-green notes.
cananga water n. (chiefly in form kananga water) a type of cologne or toilet water composed of cananga oil or ylang-ylang oil mixed with other essential oils, originally used as a perfume and now primarily used in religious rituals, esp. among the African diaspora.
ΚΠ
1871 Kingston (Jamaica) Gleaner 16 Sept. Rigaud's Kananga Water.
1893 Chemist & Druggist 9 Sept. 389/1 A cat's-head tap, from which kananga-water drops constantly.
1956 Social & Econ. Stud. 5 397 When talking to the spirit, he keeps a black candle lighted, sprinkles the floor with..cananga water from the drug store.
2011 D. Alvarado Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook x. 186 Formula for Kananga Water.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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