I plucked these flowers from a plant nursery.

I plucked these flowers from a plant nursery.

Two varieties of fragrant Michelia.

Two varieties of fragrant Michelia.

The name Michelia honors Pietro Antonio Micheli, a Florentine botanist. Among the Michelias which belong to the Magnoliaceae family there are many wonderful species. The most famous of them all is Michelia Champaca. Michelia Champaca is an evergreen tree, native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is best known and cultivated for its strongly fragrant and aromatic orange-colored blooms that appear nearly all year round. It is also cultivated for timber and in urban landscaping. Its aril-covered seeds are highly attractive to birds. Some common names include champaca, champak, champa and cempaka.

Michelia Champaca can be cultivated in a greenhouse or sunroom with artificial microclimate where it grows only 10-15 ft tall. It can be easily grown indoors as well, in a large container, turning your home into a soothing oasis.

This tree is mentioned in folk tales of India. In one of the tales the minister’s daughter changed to a Champ (champaca) tree having flowers of gold. Transformation of a human body into a plant was regarded a good fortune. As this tree is regarded to be the personification of Goddess Lakshmi, it is believed to increase the wealth of the family.

Michelia Alba or White Champaca. Other names are Fragrant Himalayan Champaca, Joy Perfume Tree, White Sandalwood, White Champak and Bai Yu Lan ( White Jade Flower). In the Philippines it is called Tsampakang Puti. This flower is associated with Shanghai, China.

Michelia Alba or White Champaca. Other names are Fragrant Himalayan Champaca, Joy Perfume Tree, White Sandalwood, White Champak and Bai Yu Lan ( White Jade Flower). In the Philippines it is called Tsampakang Puti. This flower is associated with Shanghai, China.

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Michelia x Alba (Michelia Alba) is a cross between Michelia Champaca and Michelia Montana, with a fragrance similar to Michelia Champaca. The ‘X’ indicates a hybrid cross. It is a tall, evergreen tree with creamy white flowers 3″ across with a delicious sweet fragrance resembling a juicy fruit chewing gum. The flowers start emitting the perfume early in the morning; the fragrance becoming more intense during late afternoon and by night fills in the entire space around. A single flower can fill the room with delicately sweet fragrance.

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The Michelia Alba is absolutely the most exclusive perfume tree on the planet. This is the ‘Alba’ of JOY Perfume world fame, the world’s most expensive perfume. Like the Ylang-Ylang (Chanel No.5 Perfume Tree) the ultra exclusive perfume scent was created by nature then packaged as perfume by people. Delightfully, ‘Alba’ flowers produce in great quantities. Moreover, Michelia Alba has good antimicrobial properties, especially the leaves. It also has an antioxidant character with moderate effect.

Hybrids: The Thai hybrid Michelia Alba “Golden” is the object of desire of many collectors. Within three days its amazing flower with strong fragrance changes color from white to dark golden. It has somewhat compact growth habit and is a slow grower, hence can be successfully used for potting culture. Another new interesting hybrid also from Thailand is Michelia Alba “Cream”. The plant looks basically close to Michelia Alba, but the flowers are deep cream to yellowish color. It is a nice collectible item for those who enjoy Michelias in their variety. Michelia Champaca and Michelia Alba are called “chom-pii” in Thailand.

On my table is a pair of beige small ceramic dishes with Champacas detached from Sampaguita leis.

On my table is a pair of beige small ceramic dishes with Champacas detached from Sampaguita leis.

In Manila, Michelia Champaca is usually sold as pendants to Sampaguitas leis.

In Manila, Michelia Champaca is usually sold as pendants to Sampaguitas leis.

In Manila unlike in Bangkok or Hongkong, the only way I can buy Champaca (Michelia Champaca or Michelia Alba) is by buying them as garlands. While the scent is strong enough to last long in the garland, the flowers easily discolor and turn brown. What I do is to cut the strings that hold the flowers and place them in a shallow dish with water. In this way, the flowers and their fragrance stay longer for more than a day.

The Champaca from the Sampaguita lei have been detached and arranged in a shallow marble tea candle holder with water. The Sampaguitas are in another dish in the center.

The Champaca from the Sampaguita lei have been detached and arranged in a shallow marble tea candle holder with water. The Sampaguitas are in another dish in the center.