ARCH 696 On Behalf of Plants - Homerowski

- Field Investigations of and Speculations on Hawai'i's Botanical Future-

ARCH 696 ⮑ Spring 2022

homerowski

On Behalf of Plants:

Ylang-Ylang Cananga odorata

Lanalana Ylang-Ylang Cananga odorata

01 Collect 1A

Chronicle

1B

Chart

1C

Tree Portraiture

1D

Tree Phenology + Morphogenesis

02 Collaborate 2A

Plant Practices

2B

Plant COLLABORATION

2C

DIMENSIONS OF COLLABORATION

2D

PLANT PERSPECTIVES AND COMPANIONS

03 Speculate 3A

Dimensions of Plant Potential

1A

Chronicle

HOMEROWSKI

Just as Ebbesmeyer describes in his chapter, possible origins of species and how they spread throughout the globe are numerous. This chapter starts to inform us that localized history of plants may exist, but that species may also be apart of a much broader historical and geographical system.

For instance, while lanalana’s history in Hawai‘i is not clear, if researched in correlation with its history in Polynesia and in the pacific, and paired with the direct connection between south Polynesia and the Hawaiian islands, more conclusions can be drawn. The current distribution, paired with legends of the traditional uses of a given plant can start to inform of its historical accounts. The journey of ylang-ylang throughout history, and specifically and all the legends associated with it can start to do the same.

Most of the history of Ylang-ylang is rooted in the cosmetic industry, particularly since the 1920s with the creation of Chanel #5. The signature scent opened the door for Ylang-ylang to gain notoriety. It is now the main ingredients in many luxury cosmetics.

The origins of ylang-ylang's name: The Philippine legend tells about a married couple who had everything in their life except children. One day, the gods promised to give them a daughter, on the condition that she would not touch a man until she came of age. The girl, named Ilang ("Flower") grew to be a true beauty, with many suitors. One day, despite her parents best effort to keep their promise with the gods, Ilang wandered into her garden to collect a bouquet of flowers. A young man, who for a long time had been in love with her, appeared in the garden, grabbed her hand and asked Ilang to marry him. The girl instantly turned into a small tree with very fragrant flowers. The legend says that until this day, the young man continues to wander the magic garden, calling out "Ilang! Ilang!" throughout eternity.

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1B

HOMEROWSKI

Chart

The history and origin of ylang-ylang is rather mysterious. Botanists believe that it is native to south-east Asia, more specifically to the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Northern Australia. However, Ylang-ylang's journey throughout the world is unclear; there are no clear accounts of the plant being exported, but the places where it has been naturalized correlates strongly with the routes that French and Colonial explorers followed during the 18th century.

These routes allowed to introduce the plant to most of the Polynesian Islands as well as to the Indian Ocean. The date of its arrival to Hawai‘i is still uncertain however; some rare historical accounts mention Queen Kapi‘olani's love for the fragrant flower, but do not expand on the history and dispersal of the plant throughout the Hawaiian Islands. The introduction of Ylang-Ylang to Hawai‘i can only be assumed to be from colonial travels from Tahiti.

Today, ylang-ylang travels consist mostly in the export-import of the freshly extracted essential oil, from plantations in Madagascar, Mayotte, and Comoros, and France, who is the primary importer world-wide.

The presence of Ylang-ylang in Hawai‘i has not been recorded, except for isolated species in botanical gardens and potentially private gardens.

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india french palau nauru kosrae phillippines, guam pohnpei marshall islands myanmar indonesia malaysia hawai‘i fiji tonga samoa french polynesia tahiti, cook islands marquesas-nokuhiva marquesas-fatuhiva puluwat atoll chuuk solomon islands english

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1C

Tree Portraiture

HOMEROWSKI

Ylang-ylang is an evergreen tree belonging to the Annonaceae family. It a fast growing tree, considered to be a spontaneous and pioneer species, which typically reaches about 30 to 6o feet. Its shape is very characteristic with drooping branches and twigs; it is often said to resemble Christmas trees due to its long branches.

Ylang-Ylang will grow best lowland tropics and is often found in the tropical moist to semidry forests, at 0-2600 feet elevation. Ylang-ylang tree can grow in light to heavy texture soils, shallow, infertile soils, thought saline and alkaline soils should be avoided. Ylang-ylang does not handle strong winds well, but will regrow vigorously even after severe wind damage.

The flowers of the Ylang-Ylang tree are perhaps its most characteristic feature. The flowers are of bright yellow when mature and fragrant. The fragrance is what made the tree so popular for humans, but also for nocturnal pollinator moths. Some of the largest moths in the world are part of the Ylang-Ylang ecosystem, including the Luna and Atlas moths. The tree is also very popular among fruit-eating doves and pigeons and smaller beetles.

In Hawai‘i: In Hawai‘i the growth conditions of the Ylang-Ylang tree are largely unknown as it is rarely cultivated and does not grow in the wild. Only one specimen was found on the island of O‘ahu at Foster Botanical garden, suffer from many damages from pests and harsh growing conditions.

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1D

Plant Phenology + Morphogenesis

HOMEROWSKI

The Ylang-ylang tree's life-cycle starts with a seed, often dispersed by birds, and other fruit-eating animals such as bats and squirrels. It will first grow branches and leaves; flowers usually start forming within four years. The mature flowers will then turn into fruits allowing the cycle to beging again.

Ylang-ylang is fast growing tree that can grow anywhere from 6 to 16 feet per year.

A seedling will usually form after 14 days, and will almost double in size each year until maturity. In uncultivated conditions the tree will usually reach up to 65 feet in height, but in cultivated environments trees are often maintained at 30 feet. Flowers will start to appear after about four years, and will bloom continuously and year-round. Ylang-ylang's uniqueness and economic viability largely relies on its ability to produce large quantities of flowers and on the fact that, the more flowers are harvested the more flowers it will produce.

The flower life's cycle and phenology expands on a much shorter time frame. The flowers are about 3-4 inches long and in groups of 4-12, scattered along the branch. From day 1, when the bud first appears, it will take about 14 days for the flower to fully develop into its most fragrant form. This is usually when flowers are harvested. Within that period the flower will develop from a bright green, with hints of purple, into a vibrant yellow, and after 14 days the flowers will slowly start to turn brown as they wilt and dry.

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BUD

petal DISPLAY

initial flowering

FULL flowering

END flowering

most fragrant

second most fragrant

wilted flower

DRIED flower

primary harvest time

DAY 1

DAY 14

DAY 30

YLANG-YLANG FLOWER growth overtime 22

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2A

Plant Practices

HOMEROWSKI

Ylang-ylang tree is only found in three primary settings: in montane rainforests in its natural state, in private gardens as ornamental, and in agroforestry contexts where it is grown and harvested to support the essential oil industry. Due to its fast-growing and pioneer species characteristics it is sometimes used in improved fallows.

In the context of agroforestry, ylang-ylang can be planted as a singular species, but it is often inter-cropped with other species such as bananas and coconut trees that are meant to generate economic revenues while waiting for the ylang-ylang tree to reach harvesting maturity. In some instances, for farms located on steeper slopes, it is inter-cropped with pineapple that perform erosion control.

In this context ylang-ylang is often planted and inter-cropped at 6 feet intervals to avoid competition for sunlight. It is heavily maintained and pruned throughout its early years and into maturity to maintain the a 30 feet height. Harvest has to be done by hand, and is usually performed by women.

In Hawai‘i: There are no record of ylang-ylang being planted in agroforestry contexts, but could possibly be found in private gardens and botanical gardens as specimen trees.

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2B

Plant COLLABORATION

HOMEROWSKI

The most famous product to be derived from the Ylang-ylang tree is essential oil, to be used in a variety of by-products such as soap and other cosmetics. In traditional farms and distilleries, ylang-ylang essential oil is obtained by collecting fresh flowers, usually at dusk when the flowers are the most fragrant, and placing them above boiling water. The water and oil droplets are collected in a separate silo, cooled and finally separated.

Madagascar, the Comoros and the Philippines are the main producers and exporters of ylang-ylang essential oil worldwide. It should be noted that there are many challenges associated with the production of ylang-ylang essential oil, including intensive labor, deforestation, and large water use.

Aside from essential oil production the ylang-ylang tree is extremely versatile, and almost all the parts of the trees can be used; flowers are often used to create leis, crowns and ornaments, the wood is used to create small household objects, while the fruits are turned into bird food. Medicinal uses have important cultural and traditional significance in southeast Asia and around the Pacific Ocean. In Java, flowers are dried and pounded into a paste to treat asthma. In Samoa, the bark is collected and pressed to be used in decoctions and infusions to treat stomach ailments. In Vietnam, ylang-ylang is believed to be an effective remedy against malaria and gout. Worldwide ylang-ylang is used in aromatherapy to address depression, anxiety, insomnia and used as an aphrodisiac.

In Hawai‘i: The only accounts of Ylang-ylang oil being used in manufactured products in Hawai‘i dates back to the 1900s, when it was mixed with coconut oil to create a popular hair pomade, that is no longer in production today.

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HOMEMADE ESSENTIAL OIL: INGREDIENTS AND MATERIALS

FRESH FLOWERS

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CARRIER OIL

(GRAPESEED, SWEET ALMOND OIL)

ROLLING PIN

FOOD STORAGE BAG

GLASS JAR

CHEESE CLOTH

TRANSFER CONTAINER

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HOMEMADE ESSENTIAL OIL: DIRECTIONS

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2C

DIMENSION OF COLLABORATION

HOMEROWSKI

Ylang-ylang farms are usually located in Madagascar, the Comoros and the Philippines.

Some larger essential oils companies may own the entire production chain, but the research done for this module revealed that the farms were often smaller in size and locally owned.

For many of those farms resources were limited, and many received grants and aids from western countries and the European Union.

The example farm studied here is located in the Philippines, in Zimbales. In recent years, the Philippines have invested in rehabilitating the ylang-ylang industry that was once thriving.

Iba Botanicals is one of those farms. It expands over 70 hectares and cultivates ylangylang, vetiver and elemi. The oils are extracted on-site and sold to international companies.

The farm uses scalable farming methods and funds various community initiatives and sustainable energy projects.

While this appears to be rather sustainable farming system, not all ylang-ylang farms are operating under the same methods. In the Comoros farmers have been trying to balance trickle down issues, such as deforestation and associated erosion issues, water resources depletions, and the human consequences associated with the aforementioned environmental damages that foster income inequalities across various demographics and countries.

In Hawai‘i: No farming of ylang-ylang can be found in the Hawaiian Islands, and nurseries rarely stock the plant.

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2D

PLANT PERSPECTIVE AND COMPANIONS

HOMEROWSKI

The montane tropical rainforest is one of the primary natural habitat of the ylang-ylang tree. The Luzon rainforest in the Philippines is a prime example of this ecoregion.

The climate is tropical with temperatures of around 27°C, with year-round rainfall for an average of about 2,100 mm. The Luzon rainforest has a rich fauna and flora biodiversity.

The flora is dominated by numerous large and tall trees forming a 150- 180 feet tall canopy.

The fauna is comprised primarely of small endemic mammals as a result of biogegraphic isolation. However, most the ecosystem and its species are considered endangered as they are threatened by extentive human activites such as logging, expanding agricultural activities, and hunting. As a unit the rainforest provides numerous ecosystem services, such as carbon capture sequestration, habitat and resources, water retention and aquifer regeneration.

Ylang-ylang is found from 0 to 2,600 feet elevation in the rainforest environment and is part of the understory. When in competition with other species its height growth is rapid and supported by self pruning of the lower branches. It is an important food sources for many fruit eating birds and animals, and is usually well established.

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3A

Dimensions of Design

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This semester-long study of the ylang-ylang tree has allowed for many discoveries. From its uncertain origins and history, to the lack of accessibility to data, to the numerous and varied uses.

However, beyond the fascinating traditional uses of ylang-ylang, one use shows the most promises in the context of design. Indeed, this study has revealed that ylang-ylang is a strudy species with tremendous capacities to establish itself in infertile soils and to recover from harsh environmental conditions. These pioneer species and restorative characteristics have potential to remediate different kind of landscape conditions.

While ylang-ylang is currently not present in Hawai‘i, the existing climate and rainfall conditions are conducive for this species to thrive. One possible dimension of design could be to use ylang-ylang in the local agricultural industry to help restore soils that have been heavily impacted by local agricultural practices, the pineapple and sugar cane industries are two examples. Ylang-ylang could be intercropped, or planted accross cultivated fields to help regenerate the soil and remediates damages caused by monocropping and chemical uses.

Beyond agricultural uses, ylang-ylang could also be used to bring back biodiversity in urban environments. Many empty lots covered with invasive, weed-like vegetation can be found across the island of O‘ahu. These lots are often non-performing, with limited potential for remediation and landscape design. This module starts to explore possible design options within that context, and to possibilities to address some of the environmental issues that all too common in urban environments.

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