Plumeria rubra ( & varieties)

[M Farooq]

Botanical Name	Plumeria rubra
Family	Apocyanaceae
Genus
Specie
Local Name in Urdu	Champa
Common Name	Frangipani
Life Cycle	Decidous
Cultivar Name	Many varieties available
Category(Bush/Vine/Tree)	Tree
Height	> 10 feet
Spacing	Grown as a solitary tree
Flowering Months	Through out the year
Flower Color	Pink, new varieties have red, orange, yellow, pure white
Growing Areas	All around Pakistan except cold regions
Frost Tender	Yes
Exposure	Full sun, will not tolerate shade
Soil pH	No specific issues
Propagation	Stem cuttings with plant hormones, seeds are also grown
Uses	Ornamental
Other Details	Plumeria belongs to the sada-bahaar family. Plumeria flowers are a common sight in many Pakistani gardenz. Highly fragrant flowers bloom in bunches. Some trees shed all their leaves during the fall season. This is especially seen in the case of local champa, which has yellow and white flowers. After that that the tree bears hundreds of flowers. Plumeria can tolerate a certain level drought but overwatering is disasterous. The roots simply rot quickly in waterlogged soil. No special pests or diseases but fungus can attack the soft stems and then the plant quickly dies. Champa is a slow growing tree so it is beneficial to buy an old plant which is ready for flowering. Coloured varieties are not as fragrant as the local tree. Pure white champa is said to be highly fragrant. Wood is very weak and can be easily broken with hands. Protect from windy locations. The plant extrudes white latex on being wounded. The latex sticks very hard on the hands. The white plumeria shown here is Plumeria pudica. It is not fragrant