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Welcome to
www.FrangipaniTrees.com.au
Read
About Frangipanis
Frangipani Popularity
Choosing a Frangipani Tree
General Knowledge
Frangipani Trivia
Frangipani Popularity
Why are frangipanis a popular plant for gardens and yards?
Why are frangipanis popular in New South Wales?
Why are evergreen obtusas popular in Queensland?
Can frangipanis grow in Western Sydney and Melbourne?
Where do frangipanis grow best?
Why are frangipanis a popular
plant for gardens and yards?
The beautiful sweet smelling frangipani flower is no
doubt the biggest influence on the popularity of
frangipani plants.
Another factor is their tolerance to droughts.
An established frangipani tree can get enough
moisture from most soil types to remain healthy for
six months or longer without water or rain.
Frangipani roots grow around obstacles and do not
cause damage to man-made objects such as water pipes, paths and retaining
walls.
Why are frangipanis popular in New
South Wales?
Frangipanis are a tropical plant with a fragrant
flower so
owning a frangipani tree is like bringing the tropics
to you.
Most frangipanis in NSW are the rubra variety which
lose all their leaves in winter allowing sunshine
through to warm houses and keep lawns looking green.
Why are evergreen obtusas popular in
Queensland?
Singapore white evergreen obtusas are very popular
in Queensland in both the north and the south as far
down as the Gold Coast. Besides their ability to
hold some or most of their leaves throughout winter,
the white flowers are slightly larger than other
frangipani flowers and the leaves are green and
glossy.
Can frangipanis grow in Western
Sydney and Melbourne?
In colder areas, it is necessary to create a warm
microclimate for your frangipani tree. In areas where
there are winter frosts, it is impossible to grow a
healthy frangipani tree in the ground outdoors.
People do successfully keep potted frangipanis in
snowy areas by keeping them indoors and protecting
them from the cold in winter and exposing them to
spring morning sunshine and a warm sunny location
during summer.
Where do frangipanis grow best?
Frangipani trees grow in abundance in tropical regions.
In Australia, frangipani trees grow well in coastal
regions down to Sydney in the East and down to Perth
in the west.
Choosing a Frangipani
What frangipani species are available in Australia?
Which frangipani species are suited to which Australian cities?
Is the frangipani fragrance the same from one frangipani to another?
How many varieties of colours do frangipanis have?
Which location should I choose to plant my frangipani tree?
What frangipani species are available in
Australia?
The
most commonly found frangipani species in Australia
is the Plumeria rubra. The second easiest frangipani
species to find in Australia is more numerous in
tropical northern areas and is known as the Plumeria
obtusa.
The other two frangipani species which we have a
plentiful supply of is the Plumeria pudica and the Plumeria
stenophylla.
Which frangipani species are suited
to which Australian cities?
We
recommend the frangipani rubra species to 99% of
Melbourne customers. We recommend the rubra species
to 95% of Sydney customers. We recommend either the
rubra or the white obtusa to Queensland customers
buying their first frangipani tree but also
recommend the pink obtusa and pudica for frangipani
fanatics and collectors.
Is the frangipani fragrance the
same from one frangipani to another?
No.
Frangipani flowers have different scents and
correspond to the colours. Flowers are different
from fruit but roughly speaking, frangipani flowers
with yellow have a scent similar to lemon, orange
flowers have a scent similar to apricot and pink
flowers like peach. Cerise have a strong and sweet
aroma while red is not as strong but very sweet.
The pudica and stenophylla flowers do not have a
scent.
How many varieties of colours do
frangipanis have?
As
frangipanis of different species and different
flower colours are cross pollinated, new varieties
can be created quite easily.
If we separate all colour variations into
different groups, there are hundreds and possibly
thousands of frangipani varieties.
We categorize frangipani rubras into six colour categories.
White, Pink, Tricolour (Pink and Orange), Yellow,
Cerise (Hot Pink) and red.
For larger frangipani trees, we sometimes distinguish between tricolours and label our them Cooktown sunset or
Fruit salad.
We also have a large supply of a variety which is
between a tricolour and a white. We call this a
sunset or white sunset frangipani.
It's also interesting to note that plant health,
climate and the newness of the frangipani flowers
can create very different coloured flowers on the
same tree.
Flowers identical to a Cooktown sunset and a fruit
salad can be found on the same tree.
Which location should I choose to
plant my frangipani tree?
A warm
sunny dry location.
Direct sunlight especially in winter mornings is
ideal.
Brick or metal walls on the south side help to store
and reflect heat.
A location with well drained soil and no water
besides rainfall is best.
General Knowledge
When do frangipani trees flower in Australia?
What are the common problems with frangipanis?
How tall do frangipani trees grow?
Can I keep my frangipani plant in a pot?
When do frangipani trees flower in Australia?
Flower buds can appear as early as September but
generally speaking frangipani trees flower from
November to April.
What are the common problems with frangipanis?
The biggest killer of frangipani plants is too much
water.
Fungus and insects can also cause problems which can
reduce the attractiveness of frangipanis but do not
kill the plant.
The most annoying fungus is frangipani rust which
infects frangipani leaves. It starts to appears
around December and, if untreated, gets worse and
worse until all leaves fall off or the frangipani
goes into winter dormancy.
The fruit spotting bug and black tip fungus attacks
only the new growth on branch tips. Like many other
plants, frangipani plants produce new growth on the
tips of the branches. A healthy fast growing
frangipani will produce more new growth. This new
green growth is the most delicate and vulnerable to
attack, and should be
monitored and protected.
How tall do frangipani trees grow?
In the tropics, frangipani trees can grow up to 8
metres tall and 6 metres wide. The further from the
tropics you travel, the smaller the maximum size
frangipanis reach. The Singapore Evergreen Pink is a
dwarf frangipani which means it will grow to
approximately half the height of a regular
frangipani.
Can I keep my frangipani
plant in a pot?
Yes, but there are some things you should be aware
of.
Soil in pots can completely dry out within a few hot
days so hand watering is necessary unlike the
drought resistant inground frangipanis.
After a couple of years, the soil will be drained
from its nutrients so repotting and plant food is necessary to overcome
this problem.
Frangipani roots want to become tree-sized roots so
eventually the roots will be too big to be in a pot.
The frangipani should be sold or put
into the ground and replaced with a smaller
frangipani.
Frangipani Trivia
Is the frangipani native to Australia?
What are the different types of frangipani species?
Is the frangipani poisonous?
How is the frangipani image used to sell other products?
Why is the anti-frangipani car sticker following so popular?
Is the frangipani tree native
to Australia?
The frangipani origins from central America.
By some definitions, if a plant species has
harmoniously coexisted with other plants for several
generations, it can be considered a native in that
area, which the frangipani has done in many parts of
Australia so it is may be
considered a native Australian plant to some extent.
The native frangipani is a plant which looks very
different to the common frangipanis.
What are the different
types of frangipani species?
Plumeria alba, Plumeria bahamiensis, Plumeria
bracteata, Plumeria caracasana, Plumeria cubensis,
Plumeria jamaicensis, Plumeria montana
Plumeria obtusa, Plumeria pudica, Plumeria rubra
(aka Plumeria acuminata and Plumeria acutifolia),
Plumeria stenopetala, Plumeria stenophylla
Plumeria tuberculata.
Is the frangipani poisonous?
It is sometimes written that the white sap inside
frangipanis can cause the throat to swell and block
the air passage.
I have personally witnessed cows eating several
frangipani branches and chickens eating frangipani
leaves without any sign of illness. We often get frangipani
sap on our skin and sometimes even sprayed in our
eyes and we haven't noticed any negative effects
yet.
To be on the safe side, DON'T drink sap, don't put
it in your eyes and don't let your pets nibble on
your frangipani plants.
How is the frangipani
image used to sell other products?
Like roses and other flowers, the frangipani image
is put on all kinds of items to improve their
appearance and to help them sell.
Frangipani fans sometimes want more than just
frangipani flowers in their garden so they buy
household goods with frangipani patterns so they can
see frangipani flowers everywhere they look.
Why is the anti-frangipani car
sticker following so popular?
One theory is that after people get pleasure from
something simple, others will get jealous and
despise that simple thing.
When a simple thing which is girly (feminine +
childish), like a frangipani sticker, becomes
popular, insecure people and macho men need to show
they don't approve by displaying a hate for it.
If you have a theory why some people hate frangipani
car stickers,
let us know. I'm sure we'll find it amusing.
What's the difference between a frangipani and a
plumeria?
A frangipani plant and a plumeria plant is the same
thing.
Plumeria is the official botanical name and is
commonly used in some countries while frangipani is
a colloquial name used in other countries, including
Australia.
Where did frangipanis come from?
The frangipani plant originated from Central America
in countries like Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela.
Early travelers and missionaries helped the frangipani
to spread around other tropical areas like Hawaii
and South east Asia and in recent decades to other
subtropical areas.
Where did the name frangipani come from?
Frangipani was the name of an Italian perfume used
to scent gloves in the 16th century and named after
its creator, the Marquis Frangipani. When the
frangipani flower was discovered its natural perfume
reminded people of the scented gloves, and so the
flower was called frangipani.
Where did the name plumeria come from?
Charles Plumier is considered one of the most
important of the botanical explorers in history. The
genus Plumiera was named in his honour and is now
called Plumeria.
Charles Plumier was a French botanist who lived from
April 20, 1646 to November 20, 1704.
On
being sent to the French monastery
of Trinità dei Monti at
Rome,
Plumier studied
botany.
After his return to France, he
accompanied
Joseph Pitton de Tournefort
on
botanical expeditions. His work
which began in 1689 was very
successful and was appointed royal
botanist.
At
his death Plumier left 31 manuscript volumes
containing descriptions, and about 6,000 drawings,
4,000 of which were of plants, while the remainder
were of animals,
especially of birds and fish. |
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