In Sri Lanka the plumeria is the araliya, and it is called the temple flower because it grows in the grounds of Buddhist temples across the island, where its fragrant flowers are offered at shrines. The common trees are Plumeria rubra, in shades of white, yellow, pink and red, and the white-flowered Plumeria obtusa.

Plumeria is propagated from stem cuttings. They are cut, left to callus and shipped dry and leafless, which makes them one of the easiest plants to send by air. The buyer roots them on arrival.

Varieties. Sri Lankan trees are mostly common garden types rather than named collector cultivars, so we quote by flower colour and form, and say so when a colour is not confirmed.

What to include in your request

• Number of cuttings, and preferred cutting length
• Flower colours wanted
• Destination airport and your import permit status

Importing into your country

Every shipment travels with a phytosanitary certificate from Sri Lanka’s National Plant Quarantine Service. What else you need depends on where the plants are going. Send us your species list and destination and we check the rules before we quote.

• European Union: all plants for planting need a phytosanitary certificate, including small lots and parcels. Some genera are on the EU high-risk plants list and cannot be imported until they are assessed, so we check each species first. Any growing medium must be new or treated and declared on the certificate, and professional importers register with their national plant-health authority.
• United Kingdom: plants for planting need a phytosanitary certificate, pre-notification on IPAFFS and inspection at a border control post, where fees apply.
• United States: the importer needs an APHIS import permit (form PPQ 587, free, applied for online; allow 30 to 60 days). Plants arrive bare-root, without soil, and enter through a port with a USDA plant inspection station.
• United Arab Emirates and the Gulf: the importer usually needs an import permit from the national ministry before the plants are shipped (in the UAE, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment).
• Japan, Canada and other markets: a phytosanitary certificate is required, and some plants also need an import permit or inspection on arrival. We confirm before quoting.
• Australia and New Zealand: very strict. Most live plants need an import permit and post-entry quarantine, so we quote these case by case.

Packing and transit

Plants are washed free of soil, wrapped to hold moisture and packed in ventilated cartons, then sent by air cargo through a freight forwarder (express couriers restrict live plants). Transit from Colombo is usually 3 to 7 days. We recommend a small pilot lot before a large order so you can check survival in your own conditions.

How to get a price: tell us the plant, quantity, size and destination airport. We quote per plant or per lot, FOB Colombo, CFR or CIF by air, with lead time, and can start with a small pilot lot so you can check how the plants arrive.

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