Abstract : The Cananga odorata, commonly known as "ylang-ylang", is a very fragrant plant now growing in the Imbo plain. The extraction of essential oils from flowers of that plant, performed by hydrodistillation few days after flowering, and only under non optimal experimental conditions, has yet to give oil with physico-chemical properties very consistent with international standards. In effect, with a density of 0.940, a refractive index of 1.502, an acidic index of 0.421, and a particularly high ester index of 350.6, the extraction and conditioning of the aromatic fraction of ylang-ylang offers new perspectives in aromatherapy and perfumery, which could make ylang-ylang a new opportunity of vulgarization of this new industrial plant, not only in Burundi, but also in the countries of the region that share the same geo-climatic conditions.
