Hymenosporum
The native frangipani, Hymenosporum flavum has little to do with the frangipani of gardens and Hawaiian leis except that its flowers are highly perfumed. It is related to another tree with perfumed flowers, sweet pittosporum, and the young seedlings of these two species resemble each other closely. However, as the native frangipani grows, its leaves remain slightly serrated, while those of the pittosporum get smoother.
The seeds of this tree have a surrounding wing that helps them be dispersed downwind of the mature tree. In a moist season there are likely to be hundreds of seedlings as a result, and they are easily transplanted. They can either go into pots for growing on or directly to a fertile site that lacks nearby trees but has plenty of vigorous weeds This is a species that requires highly fertile soil to grow quickly. For that reason, feed it with brazilian fireweed, indian weed or tree tobacco, all good suppliers of nutrients.
A peculiarity of this species is that it sometimes produces a single flower at the early stage shown in the photo. Then there will be several years without flowering, until it has grown to treelike proportions.
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