• Proudly serving Homeowners, Strata, Government, Property Managers and Business Owners since 2009
Get A Free Quote

Frangipani

Plumeria rubra · Apocynaceae
8m
Mature height
0
Councils: no permit needed
0
Councils: exempt under a height limit
20
Councils: permit required
Frangipani (Plumeria rubra) growing in Sydney
Frangipani · typical mature form

Do you need a permit?

Frangipani is a protected tree in effectively every council Pro Climbing Tree Services covers. Expect to need a tree permit, or a development application where the property is heritage listed or in a heritage conservation area.

How to identify it

Thick blunt grey branches that look almost sculptural when bare through winter, with large leaves clustered only at the tips. Intensely fragrant five petalled flowers in white, yellow or pink through summer. Milky sap bleeds freely from any cut.

Where it grows in Sydney

A fixture of older gardens right across Sydney, especially through the Eastern Suburbs, Inner West, Bayside and the Northern Beaches, where the warm coastal climate suits it.

Common problems

  • Brittle branches that snap under their own weight or in storms
  • Milky sap irritates skin and eyes and stains paving
  • Rust fungus disfigures the foliage through late summer
  • Shallow roots make mature plants unstable in wind once top heavy
  • High sentimental value, so removals are often contested within a household

What removal involves

Physically easy, since the wood is soft and light. Two things matter: the sap is an irritant and should be kept off skin, and frangipani strikes readily from cut branches, so offcuts are worth offering to the client rather than chipping. Not exempt in any council on this list, though many specimens sit under the size thresholds.

Council permit rules, council by council

Status below is for a tree on private land that has passed the council’s size threshold. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping and conditions of development consent override every exemption shown here.
Council
Status
What it means
Northern Beaches
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Ku-ring-gai
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Hornsby Shire
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
The Hills Shire
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Blacktown City
Permit required
Council does not run a species exemption list. A permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold, and each tree is assessed on its own merits. Official rules
North Sydney
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Willoughby
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Lane Cove
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
City of Ryde
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Hunters Hill
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
City of Sydney
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Inner West
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Woollahra
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Waverley
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Randwick
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Bayside
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Georges River
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Strathfield
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Burwood
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Canterbury-Bankstown
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Can a frangipani be moved rather than removed?

Often yes. They transplant better than most trees of their size because the root system is compact, and large cuttings strike readily. If the tree has sentimental value this is usually worth raising before quoting a removal.

Is the sap dangerous?

It is a skin and eye irritant rather than seriously toxic, but it should be washed off promptly and kept away from eyes. Wear gloves when pruning.

Commonly confused with

Oleander
Frangipani has thick blunt branches and drops its leaves in winter. Oleander stays evergreen with narrow leaves

Related species

Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) growing in Sydney
Magnolia
Magnolia grandiflora
Oleander (Nerium oleander) growing in Sydney
Oleander
Nerium oleander
African Olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata) growing in Sydney
African Olive
Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata
Athel Tree (Tamarix aphylla) growing in Sydney
Athel Tree
Tamarix aphylla

Important note on council rules

This encyclopedia is a practical guide for Sydney property owners, not legal advice. Council tree rules change, and exemptions are frequently overridden by heritage listings, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping, endangered ecological communities and conditions attached to development consent. Always confirm the current rules with your council for your specific address before any tree work begins, or ask us to check it for you.
Photo by Adityamadhav83 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Quick facts

Botanical name
Plumeria rubra
Also known as
Plumeria
Family
Apocynaceae
Origin
Central America
Mature height
4m to 8m
Canopy spread
4m to 7m
Growth rate
Slow
Foliage
Deciduous, large, leathery, clustered at branch tips
Typical lifespan
60 years plus
Root habit
Shallow and fleshy, generally not invasive
Get a Free Quote
Call 0415 463 647

Need council approval? We handle the application.

Most councils will not accept a removal application without species identification, photographs and a stated reason. We prepare and lodge the lot, then carry out the work once it is approved. One call, one invoice, no forms to work out yourself.
Start a permit application
Call 0415 463 647

Get A Complimentary Fast Quote