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Graveyard blooms a hit abroad
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Sat, Jul 26, 2008
NST
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>KUANTAN, MALAYSIA - According to Malay superstition, ghosts make their homes in its branches, particularly the vampire, or pontianak. So the frangipani is not a popular garden plant. But the very down-to-earth Norasiah Jamil makes real-world profit from growing the kemboja kubur, and has created an additional source of income for her family's coffers.
"I got interested in frangipani six years ago when I planted some in my garden. I only had the common ones with pink and white flowers then.
"I was surprised to learn from the Internet that there are more than 2,000 varieties and colours.
"There are eight known species of frangipani and I grow four of them, with about 450 varieties," said Norasiah, who has a degree in electrical engineering and is the network operations head of a communications company.
Norasiah now has two nurseries in the Sultan Ahmad Shah Agriculture Park and in Felda Lepar Hilir 3, where her settler parents live.
Over the past two years she has imported new varieties and nurtured them with the help of her parents and younger brothers and sisters.
And, using her knowledge of information technology, she has built a virtual network of frangipani enthusiasts worldwide and sells her plants over the Internet.
"I export about 300 stems of frangipani a month, mostly to Europe."
Each stem fetches up to RM450, depending on the type and colour. The quarantine and shipping costs range between RM100 and RM500.
"It's a lucrative business. I can earn RM8,000 a month."
Norasiah sells her plants through http:// s213.photobucket.com/albums/cc164/exoticmatahari.
Her mother, Hasmah Don, said she had no problems taking care of Norasiah's nursery near her home, as the frangipani was easy to grow.
"It's a sturdy plant which likes a lot of sunlight and not too much water," she said.
Asked whether she believed that the plant attracted ghosts, Hasmah smiled: "Well, I've never seen a pontianak in a frangipani tree."
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