The Plumeria’s
are native to parts of the South and Central America.
The South American ancestors of the Polynesians brought their sacred
Plumeria with them when they established themselves in Polynesia
(East of Australia in South Pacific) and today Polynesia is regarded
as the home of the Plumeria.
Sometime in pre history Polynesian peoples inter bred with the Melanesian
peoples and established villages in the Melanesian region just
north of the Australian mainland in New Guinea.
The Plumerias came to Australia via 2 routes as follows:
NEW GUINEA and TORRES STRAITS ISLANDS
The
furthermost and remote top end of tropical Australia (my home
region) is only 2 days paddling in a dugout canoe from New Guinea.
Between New Guinea and Australia is a chain of islands linking
New Guinea with Australia. These are the Torres Strait Islands.
The Torres Strait Islanders traded with and interbred with both
the New Guinea and Australian aboriginal peoples. Plumeria’s
became well established in the gardens of the Torres Strait Islanders
way back in history and became a sacred plant to these peoples
also.
From the Torres Straits to the Australian mainland is less than
1 day paddling in canoe and Islander communities were established
on the mainland of Australia long before written history. This is
how the first Plumeria’s arrived in Australia.
POLYNESIAN SLAVES and MISSIONARIES
The
2nd and most important wave of Plumeria introduction into Australia
started in the late 1800’s through to the 1920’s.
The remote northern regions of tropical Australia were (and still
are) wild and undeveloped.
Polynesia had by this time been introduced to Christianity as had
the Torres Straits. Christian missionary church communities were
common in these regions. The Australian aboriginal tribes were targeted
and pioneer missionaries established Christian mission communities
in the remote Australian tropics. These missions were established
by the Polynesian based church missions who brought with them Polynesian
and Melanesian Christians, coconuts and Plumeria’s. Most
of the many beautiful varieties of Plumeria’s were introduced
into Australia directly from Polynesia and Melanesia by these
missionaries.
Most missions failed to survive long term in these disease, snake,
crocodile infested and cyclone (hurricane) prone areas and were
abandoned and eventually vanished as the dry tropical jungle
re-established itself with only the drought hardy Plumeria’s
surviving as an indicator of long vanished Christian mission communities.
These remote regions had been made accessible though and in time
gold and a pioneering sugar cane industry was established in parts
of this region.
The wild land was cleared by hand and the work was too dangerous,
hot and difficult for the European settlers who turned to the
enslavement of captured Polynesians as forced labourers to establish
their sugar cane empires.
In time laws were made in favour of these Polynesian slaves who
were set free.
Many Polynesian stayed, many others returning to there Polynesian
homelands only to bring with them a wife and family members back
to tropical Australia to establish themselves on there own land.
They established gardens and brought with them their sacred Plumeria’s
of many assorted varieties.
Plumeria’s were introduced and established in Australia
this way and over time were dispersed around Australia, to a limited
extent only, as most of the best discoveries have occurred in the
remote areas where they were first introduced and established.
THE
FRANGIPANI OF AUSTRALIA TODAY
The
frangipani’s of Australia that have been seen by the PSA and
frangipani collectors here in Australia are mostly from the more
populated subtropical areas of Australia. Here the gene pool was
and still is much smaller and exceptional variates uncommon.
Frangipani trees in these humid subtropical areas of Australia don't
set much seed and cuttings have been the main propagation method.
Most of the Australian population and therefore frangipani collectors
live in these subtropical and Mediterranean regions and thus
the knowledge of and collection of frangipani varieties is limited.
Very recently there have been a few special varieties introduced
into Australia from South. East Asia and India. These are rare
and found only in a few small private collections.
Australia does have unique Plumeria varieties of its own.
(Steven Prowse)
