My neighbor at work said to take a few cuttings. I took a photo of one of her blossoms. Any suggestions as to what this is, as she has no idea. The fragrance is heavenly.
My 1st plumeria...what is it?
I don't recognize it as being a cultivar. It is probably a seedling or a hybrid of some sort. It is very pretty. Some of my most favorite plumies are unnamed ones that are probably seedlings too.
Thanks, Clare. It has a little more pink on the edges than what showed up in the photo. Do people here at DG even trade for unnamed ones? Seems like many folks like to trade named for named varieties.
Since I'm just getting started up, I take anything. (Trying to be more careful with some of the invasives, though.) So if hers was a seedling, my cutting may look different from her plant?
So this woman said she has a lavender/purple one in the back yard and she would give me a cutting of that one sometime. May have to ask her for a peek next time I see her outside. :)
_____••______ Here's me peeking over the fence. hehe
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Hi Soozer, yes, I saw a flash of pink, and that had me wondering. Does it smell like fresh peaches? Aztec Gold smells like fresh peaches, but I don't think it has any pink in it.
Sure, they do trade unknowns/unnamed. There are some stunning unnamed ones out there that are even more gorgeous than the named varieties. I think many folks are just starting out growing them and don't have much to cut to trade with. It takes several years for a cutting to get to tree size and a few years more to get to the point where you want to prune.
If your cutting was taken from her tree, yours will look identical to her tree. Plumerias are called seedlings when they are hybrids and before they are named even if they are very old. For example, this flower below is one of mine unknowns, and it is probably a seedling of Celadine. We know that it is not Celadine because the flower size is too small.
I would take your neighbor at work up on her kind offer if you can:-) Lavender/purple plumerias really don't exist here yet, but new hybrids are coming in from Thailand now which show a great deal of promise. Some reds and pinks fade to a nice lavender color. That's really cute of you peeking over the fence:-)
This message was edited Aug 25, 2005 9:33 PM
Clare - Yours are beautiful with that yellow center eye.
I wish I could remember the smell. So mine will always be a 'seedling'. Since we dont' know if hers was a named one (hybrid?) at one time or if hers was cut from another tree it is...what? I am definitely a plumie newbie...duh. I just know there is more space for them here. lol Do you bring your blossoms inside (want that smell inside, too) or totally enjoy them on the trees?
I would call it something like 'White with yellow eye Seedling of Unknown Parentage, Looks like Mini Celadine" Thats as accurate as youll get. And its very important to clarify that its parentage is indeed unknown. That way youill never run into problems with folks from the PSA getting upset. That is important as they are currently working hard to keep CV lines properly named for identification. You may actually name it yourself too whatever you like as long as the name isnt taken and you clarify the unknown parentage. ;)
Most definitely jump now on the lavender cuttings, they are hard to find, expensive and to some, very desirable. ;)
Here is a nice photo of Celadine, (Photo is of unknown source sorry)
Clare, that seedling is delicious!
Have you ever tried tasting a petal? :P
Malestrom -
So even unnamed ones have their value :) Beyond smelling fabulous! Look forward to seeing what she has behind fence #1.
p.s. Quite the town you're from. lol
(Almost missed that.)
Michael is quite right about names and keeping them straight. So many people want to stick a name of a cultivar on their plumeria because it looks like the cultivar from pictures that they've seen, but you really can't identify plumerias from pictures because you have to look at other things like growth habit, flower size, exact flower color according to the accepted color chart, leaf patterns, etc. Also, seedlings of a cultivar can look exactly like the parent, but it is not the parent so you can't call it by the parent's name because that would muddy the gene pool so-to-speak.
Michael is right on with what he said. I have all my unknowns labeled by their flower color, size, and fragrance. And, yes, they are still valued highly despite the fact that they are not a named and registered cultivar. The registering process is tough, from what I understand, and expensive, and that is why not all hybridizers will register their plumerias, but, as Michael said, they may name them. I think the trouble with naming them and not registering them is that, if someone else want to register theirs as the same name as yours, they get priority because yours is named but not registered, and then you have to change the name so it is really best as "unknown yellow-white" or something to that effect.
Since we don't know what your neighbor has, it is a seedling/hybrid too. If it's not a registered cultivar, it is a seedling and a hybrid (both). Even in places where plumerias are native, trees are called seedlings or hybrids because, until they are named and registered, they are just that. Plumeria branches break and fall to the ground and become new trees, and seeds are scattered by the wind and become new trees also, and they are all seedlings.
By the way, I should clarify that I am talking only about the genus and species of Plumeria rubra. Other species are easily recognizable by their specific characteristics. For example, Plumeria obtusa is recognizable by the rounded dark green evergreen leaves. However, that being said, it is possible to cross different species so new hybrids are coming out all the time so the same rules apply. For example, Luc at Florida Colors has successfully crossed Plumeria pudica, which has uniquely shaped leaves and flowers with no fragrance, with a Plumeria rubra hybrid to create a plumeria with leaves shaped like a P. pudica but flowers with color and fragrance like P. rubra. This is very exciting to see.
LOL, Michael. Uh...I think they're like poisonous, Dude:-) Stop eating the flowers! Jeez, I can't take you anywhere! ((((Wink and hugs.))))
Clare --
Ok, I'll be just fine with my "unnamed white with yellow center and a tinge of pink on the edges" seedling. I know, I know....keep it short and sweet. Would hate to lose that fragrance.
You say about identifying according to "growth habit, flower size, exact flower color according to the accepted color chart, leaf patterns, etc."
Where would look at that color chart?
Do you even note the type of fragrance? Like 'peach'?
Thanks for sharing all this interesting plumeria info.
Hi Soozer, there is a standard accepted color chart that is used, but I forget the name of it right now. I'll check the Plumeria Society of America's web site to see if I can find it. In the meantime, here is a good link which lists detailed characteristics of some cultivars: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/OF-31.pdf It's a great article because it describes the characteristics of a plumeria flower and leaves in great detail including petal shape, overlap, fragrance, and growth habit. Here's a good link too: http://www.io.com/~jrm/plum002.html
Yes, I do note the fragrance like "peachy," "fruity," "flowery," "jasmine," etc. Here's a list of cultivars grouped by fragrances that I compiled. Bear in mind that it is a work in progress and that fragrance is subjective and that these groupings were compiled from opinions of the plant owners.
Lemon/Citrus/Fruity Scent:
Apricot Delight - lemon
Aztec Gold - peaches
Bill Moragne - grape koolaid
Celadine - Citrus Scent
Cool Aid - grape koolaid
Duke - fruit punch
Dwarf Deciduous - lemon, strong citrus
Intense Rainbow - peaches
Keane - lemon
Kimo - lime
Lemon Chiffon - strong lemon, sweeter than Singapore
Lemon Drop - lemon scent
Pink Kiss - Apricots, Sweet Olive, Osmanthus fragrans
Pink Pansy - grape koolaid
Singapore - lemon, bitter lemon
Thornton Lemon Drop - lemon scent
Wave Rage - strong, sweet, and fruity
Classic Plumeria Scent:
Celadine
Emerson's Pink Nova - very, very mild
Singapore
Slaughter Pink
Gardenia Scent:
Charlotte Ebert
Dieudonne - mild
Gardenia Plumeria
King Kalakaua - mild
Tahitian Sunset - mild
Floral Scent:
Aloha
Dean Conklin - carnation
Just Peachy
Nassau
Nellie's White - strong honey scent
OZ plumie-Gold Coast Peach
Ruby Gold
San Germain - honeysuckle
Venezuelan Snowball - strong honeysuckle
Yolanda's White - Night Blooming Jesamine, Cestrum nocturnum
Rose Scent:
Brittney
Charlotte Ebert
Guillot's Sunset
Jeannie Moragne
Pink Parfait
Vera Cruz Rose, stronger than Guillot's Sunset
Coconut Scent:
Barry's Orange Pink
Charlotte Ebert
Dream of Siam - strong coconut cream pie
Hurricane
Miami Rose
Nellie's White - jasmine to coconut
Scott Pratt - spicy coconut
Spicy Scent:
Cancun Dreams - mild
Cancun Pink - cinnamon
Carmen
Grove Farm - nutmeg
India - nutmeg
Josua
Kauka Wilder
Negril - cloves
Scott Pratt - spicy coconut
Strong Unique Scent:
Bali Whirl
Grove Farm
Lemon Chiffon - strong lemon
Mele PA Bowman
Nassau
Ruby Gold
San Germain - like honeysuckle
Venezuelan Snowball - strong honeysuckle
Wave Rage
White
Most desireable plumerias for fragrance:
Aztec Gold
Bali Whirl
Celadine
Charlotte Ebert - hint of almond
Espinda - exotic tropical
Gold Coast Peach
Grove Farm
Loretta - exotic tropical
Mele PA Bowman, like Singapore but stronger
Miami Rose
Nassau
OZ plumie-Gold Coast Peach (previously 'Seldom Seen')
Singapore
No scent or very little scent:
Fiesta Rainbow
Pudica - no scent
Puu Kahea
Wow, Clare -- This must be the way to plumeria wizdom. Interesting scent divisions....
Thanks.
My pleasure:-) I've only been growing plumerias for about three years now and only seriously in the last year so I'm still learning too:-)