''Fagraea'' is a genus of

plant Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...

s in the family

Gentianaceae Gentianaceae is a family of flowering plants of 105 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 (species), cosm ...

.Backlund, M., et al. (2000)
Phylogenetic relationships within the Gentianales based on NDHF and RBCL sequences, with particular reference to the Loganiaceae.
''American Journal of Botany'' 87 1029-43. 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, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

shrub A shrub or 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 by their multiple ...

liana A liana is a long-Plant stem, stemmed Woody plant, 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 (biology), canopy in search of direct sunlight. T ...

s, and

epiphyte An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another 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 epiphyt ...

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

center of diversity A Vavilov center or center of origin is a geographical area where a group of organisms, either domesticated or wild, first developed its distinctive properties. Centers of origin were first identified in 1924 by Nikolai Vavilov. Vavilov posite ...

Malesia Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms. It is a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical kingdom. It was first recognized as a distinct region ...

.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 Polynesian mythology encompasses the oral traditions of the people of Polynesia (a grouping of Central and South Pacific Ocean island archipelagos in the Polynesian Triangle) together with those of the scattered cultures known as the Polyne ...

. 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 th ...

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 woo ...

s. Some have been used in

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...

perfume Perfume (, ) is a mixture of fragrance, fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), Fixative (perfumery), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agre ...

ry, and

aromatherapy Aromatherapy is a practice based on the use of aromatic materials, including essential oils and other aroma compounds, with claims for improving psychological well-being. It is used as a complementary therapy or as a form of alternative medic ...

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

cassowaries Cassowaries (; Biak language, Biak: ''man suar'' ; ; Papuan_languages, Papuan: ''kasu weri'' ) are flightless birds of the genus ''Casuarius'', in the order Casuariiformes. They are classified as ratites, flightless birds without a keel (bird a ...

flying foxes ''Pteropus'' (suborder Yinpterochiroptera) is a genus of megabats which are among the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as fruit bats or flying foxes, among other colloquial names. They live in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Austr ...

, and

civet A civet () is a small, lean, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The term ''civet'' applies to over a dozen different species, mostly from the family Viverridae. Most of the species's div ...

Species

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

accepts the following 65 species: * '' Fagraea acutibracteata'' * '' Fagraea amabilis'' * '' Fagraea annulata'' * '' Fagraea auriculata'' * ''

Fagraea berteroana ''Fagraea berteroana'' ( orth. variant ''F. berteriana''), commonly known as the pua keni keni, pua kenikeni or perfume flower tree, is a small spreading tree or a large shrub. It is known as the ''pua-lulu'' in the Samoan Islands, and as ''pua ...

'' * '' Fagraea blumei'' * '' Fagraea bodenii'' * '' Fagraea borneensis'' * '' Fagraea cambagei'' * '' Fagraea cameronensis'' * '' Fagraea carnosa'' * '' Fagraea carstensensis'' * '' Fagraea ceilanica'' * '' Fagraea coromandelina'' * '' Fagraea crassifolia'' * '' Fagraea curtisii'' * '' Fagraea dasyantha'' * '' Fagraea dolichopoda'' * '' Fagraea dulitensis'' * '' Fagraea epiphytica'' * '' Fagraea euneura'' * '' Fagraea eymae'' * '' Fagraea fagraeacea'' * '' Fagraea fastigiata'' * '' Fagraea floribunda'' * '' Fagraea fraserensis'' * '' Fagraea gardeniiflora'' * '' Fagraea gardenioides'' * '' Fagraea gitingensis'' * '' Fagraea graciliflora'' * ''

Fagraea gracilipes ''Fagraea gracilipes'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Gentianaceae. It is endemic to Fiji, where it is known from only four of the islands. It is harvested for its valuable wood. In Fiji, it is threatened by overexploitation Over ...

'' * '' Fagraea havilandii'' * '' Fagraea iliasii'' * '' Fagraea imperialis'' * '' Fagraea involucrata'' * '' Fagraea kalimantanensis'' * '' Fagraea kinabaluensis'' * '' Fagraea kinghamii'' * '' Fagraea kuminii'' * '' Fagraea larutensis'' * '' Fagraea latibracteata'' * '' Fagraea litoralis'' * '' Fagraea longiflora'' * '' Fagraea longipetiolata'' * ''

Fagraea macroscypha ''Fagraea'' is a genus of plants in the family Gentianaceae.Backlund, M., et al. (2000)Phylogenetic relationships within the Gentianales based on NDHF and RBCL sequences, with particular reference to the Loganiaceae.''American Journal of Botany'' ...

'' * '' Fagraea megalantha'' * '' Fagraea oblonga'' * '' Fagraea obtusifolia'' * '' 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 woodiana''

Formerly placed here

*''Fagraea fragrans'' , now ''

Cyrtophyllum fragrans The tembusu (, or ), 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''). It is also k ...

'' *''Fagraea malayana'' , now '' Utania racemosa'' *''Fagraea peregrina'' , now ''

'' *''Fagraea racemosa'' , now '' Utania racemosa'' *''Fagraea ridleyi'' , now ''

'' *''Fagraea thwaitesii'' , now '' Utania racemosa''

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