Frangipani Seedlings
When a frangipani grows from seed, it usually grows as a single stem for 3 to 5 years. They often grow over 1 metre before flowering or forking.
Since the frangipani will eventually have hundreds of branches, the natural way of growing is for the frangipani to get a strong stem, which will later become the trunk that can support many branches.
Frangipani Cuttings
It is possible to get a cutting with ten or more branches and grow it. However, after it grows into a tree, and each branch turns into a thick trunk, it will look eventually look like ten trees planted close together.
Goldilocks
Most people tend to be too impatient to start with a single stem, and starting with too many branches can end up with overcrowding so starting with a plant with numerous branches, but not too many, is the way to go.
Advice
When choosing a frangipani, many customers choose a plant with many branches. As mentioned above, this looks good while it’s small but can end up with over-crowding.
Many frangipani cuttings are grown with a bent trunk. The slight bend might get less noticeable over the years, but a severely bent trunk will always be noticeable. While it’s a good idea to not start with a bent trunk, buying a frangipani with a minor bend in the trunk at a cheaper price can be good for the budget.