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Gentianaceae
Perfume Flower
Fagraea berteroana
Intoxicating beauty and island romance.
- Family
- Gentianaceae
- Genus
- Fagraea
- Native to
- Pacific Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- evergreen tree
- Height
- 500–1500 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun to part shade
- Soil
- rich, moist, well-drained
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 10–12
- Lifespan
- perennial tree
Did you know
- The large, trumpet-shaped flowers emit one of the most intensely sweet fragrances in the plant kingdom, detectable from great distances.
- Flowers open white in the evening and gradually turn yellow over the next two days as they age.
- In Polynesian cultures, the flowers are woven into leis and worn behind the ear to signal romantic availability.
- The tree can begin life as an epiphyte growing on another tree before sending roots down to the ground.
- Its wood is extremely hard and durable, traditionally used for building canoes and tools in Pacific Island cultures.
Color meanings
White
heavenly fragrance
Cream
tropical serenity