''Fagraea'' is a genus of

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

s in the family

Gentianaceae Gentianaceae is a family of flowering plants of 103 genera and about 1600 species. Etymology The family takes its name from the genus '' Gentiana'', named after the Illyrian king Gentius. Distribution Distribution is cosmopolitan. Characteri ...

. It includes

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

liana A liana is a long- stemmed, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a ta ...

s, and

epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

s. They can be found in forests, swamps, and other habitat in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, with the

center of diversity A center of origin is a geographical area where a group of organisms, either domesticated or wild, first developed its distinctive properties. They are also considered centers of diversity. Centers of origin were first identified in 1924 by Ni ...

Malesia Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms, and also a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical Kingdom. It has been given different definitions. The ...

.Motley, T. J. (2004)
The ethnobotany of ''Fagraea'' Thunb.(Gentianaceae): The timber of Malesia and the scent of Polynesia.
''Economic Botany'' 58(3) 396-409. Many ''Fagraea'' species have a variety of human uses, particularly the wood and flowers. The flowers open in the evening and are often fragrant and bat-pollinated. They are so conspicuous they have roles in Polynesian mythology. They make the trees attractive as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

ings. Some are used in leis. '' Fagraea auriculata'' produces a flower over 30 centimeters wide, one of the largest flowers of any plant in the world. Many species, especially the Malesian taxa, have valuable wood. It was used to carve

tiki In Māori mythology, Tiki is the first man created by either Tūmatauenga or Tāne. He found the first woman, Marikoriko, in a pond; she seduced him and he became the father of Hine-kau-ataata. By extension, a tiki is a large or small wooden ...

s. Some have been used in

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

perfume Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Th ...

ry, and aromatherapy. The flowers are featured in the traditional artwork of various cultures. The fruits are food for many animals, including

cassowaries Cassowaries ( tpi, muruk, id, kasuari) are flightless birds of the genus ''Casuarius'' in the order Casuariiformes. They are classified as ratites (flightless birds without a keel (bird anatomy), keel on their sternum bones) and are native t ...

, flying foxes, and civets. Fagraea ceilanica 10

Species

Plants of the World Online currently records 59 accepted species: *'' Fagraea acutibracteata'' *'' Fagraea annulata'' *'' Fagraea auriculata'' *'' Fagraea berteroana'' *'' Fagraea blumei'' *'' Fagraea bodenii'' *'' Fagraea borneensis'' *'' Fagraea cameronensis'' *'' Fagraea carnosa'' *'' Fagraea carstensensis'' *'' Fagraea ceilanica'' *'' Fagraea coromandelina'' *'' Fagraea crassifolia'' *''

Fagraea curtisii ''Fagraea'' is a genus of plants in the family Gentianaceae. It includes trees, shrubs, lianas, and epiphytes. They can be found in forests, swamps, and other habitat in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, with the center of diversity in Ma ...

'' *'' Fagraea dulitensis'' *'' Fagraea epiphytica'' *'' Fagraea euneura'' *'' Fagraea eymae'' *''

Fagraea fastigiata ''Fagraea'' is a genus of plants in the family Gentianaceae. It includes trees, shrubs, lianas, and epiphytes. They can be found in forests, swamps, and other habitat in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, with the center of diversity in Ma ...

'' *'' Fagraea floribunda'' *''

Fagraea fraserensis ''Fagraea'' is a genus of plants in the family Gentianaceae. It includes trees, shrubs, lianas, and epiphytes. They can be found in forests, swamps, and other habitat in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, with the center of diversity in Ma ...

'' *''

Fagraea gardeniiflora ''Fagraea'' is a genus of plants in the family Gentianaceae. It includes trees, shrubs, lianas, and epiphytes. They can be found in forests, swamps, and other habitat in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, with the center of diversity in Ma ...

'' *''

Fagraea gardenioides ''Fagraea'' is a genus of plants in the family Gentianaceae. It includes trees, shrubs, lianas, and epiphytes. They can be found in forests, swamps, and other habitat in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, with the center of diversity in Ma ...

'' *'' Fagraea gitingensis'' *'' Fagraea graciliflora'' *'' Fagraea gracilipes'' *''

Fagraea havilandii ''Fagraea'' is a genus of plants in the family Gentianaceae. It includes trees, shrubs, lianas, and epiphytes. They can be found in forests, swamps, and other habitat in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, with the center of diversity in Ma ...

'' *'' Fagraea iliasii'' *'' Fagraea imperialis'' *'' Fagraea involucrata'' *'' Fagraea kalimantanensis'' *''

Fagraea kinabaluensis ''Fagraea'' is a genus of plants in the family Gentianaceae. It includes trees, shrubs, lianas, and epiphytes. They can be found in forests, swamps, and other habitat in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, with the center of diversity in Ma ...

'' *'' Fagraea kinghamii'' *'' Fagraea kuminii'' *'' Fagraea larutensis'' *'' Fagraea latibracteata'' *'' Fagraea litoralis'' *'' Fagraea longiflora'' *''

Fagraea longipetiolata ''Fagraea'' is a genus of plants in the family Gentianaceae. It includes trees, shrubs, lianas, and epiphytes. They can be found in forests, swamps, and other habitat in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, with the center of diversity in Ma ...

'' *'' Fagraea macroscypha'' *''

Fagraea megalantha ''Fagraea'' is a genus of plants in the family Gentianaceae. It includes trees, shrubs, lianas, and epiphytes. They can be found in forests, swamps, and other habitat in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, with the center of diversity in Ma ...

'' *''

Fagraea oblonga ''Fagraea'' is a genus of plants in the family Gentianaceae. It includes trees, shrubs, lianas, and epiphytes. They can be found in forests, swamps, and other habitat in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, with the center of diversity in Ma ...

'' *'' Fagraea oreophila'' *'' Fagraea plumeriiflora'' *'' Fagraea pyriformis'' *'' Fagraea rarissima'' *'' Fagraea renae'' *'' Fagraea resinosa'' *'' Fagraea ridleyi'' *'' Fagraea salticola'' *'' Fagraea splendens'' *'' Fagraea stonei'' *'' Fagraea tacapala'' *'' Fagraea ternatana'' *'' Fagraea truncata'' *'' Fagraea tubulosa'' *'' Fagraea tuyukii'' *''

Fagraea umbelliflora ''Fagraea'' is a genus of plants in the family Gentianaceae. It includes trees, shrubs, lianas, and epiphytes. They can be found in forests, swamps, and other habitat in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, with the center of diversity in Ma ...

'' *''

Fagraea woodiana ''Fagraea'' is a genus of plants in the family Gentianaceae. It includes trees, shrubs, lianas, and epiphytes. They can be found in forests, swamps, and other habitat in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, with the center of diversity in Ma ...

'' *Note, the former taxa ''

Fagraea fragrans The tembusu is a large evergreen tree in the family Gentianaceae, native to Southeast Asia (from Indo-China to New Guinea). It is the Malay language, Malay name for ''Cyrtophyllum fragrans'' (synonym ''Fagraea fragrans''). Its trunk is dark bro ...

'' Roxb. is now accepted as synonym for '' Cyrtophyllum fragrans'' (Roxb.) DC.

Gallery

File:Naturalis Biodiversity Center - L.0939515 - Fagraea racemosa Wallich - Artwork.jpeg, ''Fagraea racemosa Wallich'', 19th century File:Naturalis Biodiversity Center - L.0939517 - Bernecker, A. - Fagraea imperialis Miquel - Artwork.jpeg, ''Fagraea imperialis Miquel'', A. Bernecker, ~1860

References

Gentianaceae genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Gentianales-stub