Plumeria 'Princess Victoria' (Plumeria rubra)

Plumeria 'Princess Victoria'
Plumeria rubra

Permission given by and credit goes to Joey Rosselli for the photo.

That is the prettiest I've seen so far!
Annie

Annie, that color break is created by the Frangipani Mosaic Virus. It is very beautiful and very controversial because the FMV has the ability to spread and distort the colors of many cultivars. My friend, Kukiat, in Thailand says that many trees in Thailand now have the FMV as it has spread quickly. I think it is beautiful and scary at the same time.

I didn't realize that! Beautiful nevertheles.

Ohhhhhhh....my heart is comming out..... yes this is most beautiful I have ever seen any Plumeria bloom.... I am with you Annie
Kaleem

You will see more and more color breaks coming out very soon and being offered for sale. They are being created by sellers because they fetch a nice price. They use the infected sap to infect other non-infected plants.

Luc of Florida Colors Nursery is a highly respected plumeria expert and made a comment about color breaks which I wanted to share with everyone. He was addressing a business owner here in California, who is working on creating these virus-infected plumerias to bring out the color break. He said:

"I am sorry but I feel that you are making a mistake in promoting a splash series, which is full of a virus very destructive to plumerias. You may not have visited Koko Crater in Hawaii. In that world-famous collection, the virus is doing major damage to 15- and 20-feet-tall trees. It is a shame that nobody in Hawaii is trimming those trees and burning the dead and dying branches. I feel the very same way with that infamous Princess Victoria cultivar.

Luc
FCN"

Luc is a good man and knowledgeable about plumerias, and I agree with him that the virus is not a good thing. I have enough trouble with viruses spreading to my brugmansias and passifloras. They do affect the plants in a negative way, and they can be transmitted to other plants.

Well then, I will not be a part in purchasing it, thank you very much for your information!
Annie

Me neither, Annie! You're very welcome. I know the hybridizer Joey Rosselli through the plumeria talk forums, and he seems like a very nice man, but these virused plumerias have the ability to ruin the purity of plumeria flowers as the virus spreads to more and more plants, and so I don't like them at all. If more and more of these virused plumerias are introduced into people's garden, then the problem will become a huge problem, I think. It worries me.

This was just posted on PlumeriaPals and is relevant to the discussion of viruses in plumerias so I thought I would re-post it here. The poster is Steve Freeland:

"Aloha All,
As a resident here on Oahu and a frequent visitor to Koko Crater I have to agree with Luc. The plumeria there are going to the dogs. There is a major borer problem and more and more plumeria are splashing. I feel the overall general health of the Crater is deteriorating at an alarming rate. There is nothing "developmental" about infecting plants with a virus and calling them something new. There are no benefits to a virus being introduced to a plant (name one beneficial virus in ANY plant) other than to increase the value of the plant because people like the colors. Unfortunately the people with the money drive all business and as long as tobamovirus infected plants are considered a "hot" item then there will be people who throw caution to the wind and cross infect other plants. A virus may not affect a plant now, today, tomorrow, next year or in the next decade but it will show something detrimental sooner or later. All viruses do. Like bacteria, viruses are opportunistic and will exploit a weak plant. How do we know a plant in the wild under stress isn't harmed by the virus under less than ideal conditions? We tend to coddle the infected plants like faberge eggs so maybe the virus hasn't been able to show us it's true potential. We must also remember that viruses can, will, and do mutate at alarming rates, and what is the mosaic virus today is the "plubonic plague" tomorrow. The greatest risk we run is losing the "pureness" of the strains available now. The potential for everything to become infected and the originals being lost is high and steps should be taken now to hinder the spread of the virus. Note I did not say stop the virus because, as a realist, I know that would be asking too much, but people should be made aware of the potentials regardless. If they choose to ignore it, then we know who to blame when the virus hits the fan.....Aloha.....Steve"

Edited to fix spelling.


This message was edited Dec 17, 2005 12:48 PM

I am sorry to hear all the bad plublicity over this flower.For those who like the flower, I am glad you enjoy seeing it bloom. For those who consider it dangerous,write to me at my plumeria e-mail and tell me what you think. princessplumerias@cox.net

I find it hard to believe the color virus is destroying fields of trees....

Those third world countries have more problems than having to worry about their plumerias.Those third world countries have real viruses and I find it hard to believe the Princess Victoria is a dangerous plant.If you don't like the flower,or think its a terrible and dangerous plant, write to me and tell me. princessplumerias@cox.net. I think there are a lot of people out there that wish they made the discovery and took credit for the flower.I think that is the real virus...

This message was edited Jul 8, 2006 6:26 PM

Hi Joey! I see you joined today so welcome to Dave's! For some reason, I thought you were already a member.

The Frangipani Mosaic Virus has been around for more than 30 years or longer, and I don't know who discovered it, but it was first reported in India and Australia by Francki et al. (1971); and by Varma and Gibbs (1978): http://image.fs.uidaho.edu/vide/descr345.htm It has infected many different varieties, including many cultivars in Thailand, and has spread to street trees in Bangkok and other places. Stress seems to bring out the color breaks, which, as you know, is a manifestation of the virus. Princess Victoria is only one of many plants that have the color break now, and soon there will be many more. Just recently, pictures have been posted of a Moragne 23 with a color break over at PlumeriaPals.

Please don't take this personally as it is not an attack upon you or upon your Princess Victoria. It is up to all collectors to be informed that certain cultivars may carry a virus which may spread to their other cultivars and may cause the color break to occur. Since the information that is available says that it is not spread by vectors, then we can relax in knowing that thrips won't spread the virus, but at the same time, we need to be extremely careful when using cutters as it can be spread manually through the sap. I personally have witnessed what a virus can do in my brugmansias, passifloras, abutilons, and other tropicals, and in those cases, the virus was detrimental to the plants' health.