Fagraea FRAGRANS

Fagraea FRAGRANS - Tembusu, Fragrant Fagraea, Fagraea fragrans.

Trees or shrubs, occasionally climbing, epiphytic, or semi-epiphytic. There are about 35 species in the genus. The plant belongs to the Gentianaceae family. In nature, they inhabit India, Malaysia, Thailand, Indochina, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea in moist or seasonally flooded locations, except for stagnant swamps.

Leaves are petiolate or sometimes sessile, with stipules fused into an ochrea that usually splits into 2 axillary scales. Leaf blades are entire or rarely denticulate. Flowers are terminal or axillary, solitary or in cymes, racemes, corymbs, or panicles, 5-petaled, large. Fruits are berries, ellipsoid, 1-2-locular, multi-seeded.

Fragrant Fagraea is an evergreen slow-growing tree with a conical light green crown. Leaves are simple, opposite, oval, 4-15 cm (1.6-5.9 in) long and 1.5-6 cm (0.6-2.4 in) wide. It flowers regularly and profusely with very fragrant white 5-petaled tubular blooms up to 2 cm (0.8 in) in diameter, featuring long stamens. The timber is hard and durable. The plant adapts easily to poorly aerated soils.

Seeds should be mixed with fine sand and sown in a shaded area. Watering is best done with a gentle spray so as not to disturb the seeds. Seedlings can be repotted into individual containers after 2 months when 5-7 cm (2.0-2.8 in) tall, and can be planted into open ground at a height of 30-45 cm (11.8-17.7 in) with a root ball. Germination occurs in 15-60 days or more. The whole berry can also be planted; in that case, seedlings appear no earlier than 6 weeks.

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It performs well in moist soil at annual daytime temperatures between 20-30 °C (68-86 °F), but can also endure a range of 10-36 °C (50-97 °F).

Lighting should be as bright as possible; it tolerates virtually any soil, including very poor and depleted varieties.

Mature specimens are moderately drought-tolerant.