Horticulturists in Bangladesh are trying to popularise plantation of cannonball tree, which flowers are used to produce one of the best quality perfumes in the world.
Shere-e-Bangla Agriculture University Professor AFM Jamal Uddin said rare fragrance flowers like cannonball are used to produce high quality perfume in many countries.
“The flower has good prospect of producing perfume for upscale market,” he said.
Famous global brands like Arquiste or Tembala use cannonball flower to produce perfume.
Jamal Uddin said last year they nurtured 200 saplings and distributed across the country through Green Bangladesh Society.
It takes about one month to grow a sapling from seed and about five years to become a grown-up tree while it takes about 10 years for flowers to bloom, he said.
Seven or eight trees can be found in the university while about 30 trees across the country including Baldha Garden and Sawrawardy Udayan in Dhaka, Bangladesh Tea Research Institute in Mouvibazar and Muktagacha Jamidarbari.
Cannonball tree is native to South and Central America and grows up to about 80 feet. The bright and colourful flowers are large and can be up to 6 cm in diameter. The scent of the flower is sweet, green and floral with touches of hyacinth, petunia and rose, with a characteristic green sage note.