''Plumeria'' (), also known as frangipani, is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the subfamily Rauvolfioideae, of the family

Apocynaceae Apocynaceae (, from '' Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison. Notable mem ...

. Most species are

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

s or small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

s. The species are native to the

Neotropical realm The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropics, tropical Ecoregion#Terrestrial, terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperat ...

(in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

, and the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

, and as far south as

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and as far north as

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

), but are often grown as

cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Internationalism * World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship * Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community * Cosmopolitan ...

ornamentals in

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

regions, especially in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, as well as hot desert climates in the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

with proper

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...

Names

The genus Plumeria is named in honour of 17th-century French

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

and

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

Charles Plumier, who traveled to the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

documenting many plant and animal species. ''Plumeria'' is also used as a common name, especially in

horticultural Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

circles. The name " frangipani" comes from a 16th-century

marquis A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wido ...

of the noble Frangipani family in Italy, who created a synthetic plumeria-like

perfume Perfume (, ) is a mixture of fragrance, fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), Fixative (perfumery), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agre ...

. Common names for plants in the genus vary widely according to region, variety, and whim, but ''frangipani'' or variations on that theme are the most common.

Description

Plumeria branches are

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

. The trunk and branches of the ''Plumeria'' species have a milky

latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latices are found in nature, but synthetic latices are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a wikt:milky, milky fluid, which is present in 10% of all floweri ...

sap that, like many other Apocynaceae, contains poisonous compounds that irritate the eyes and skin.

Leaves

Plumeria trees are small or low shrubs. The leaves grow at tips of their branches. Various species and

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

have various

leaf shape The following terms are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade is divided into two or more leaflets ...

and

arrangements In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing Composition (music), composition. Differences from the original composition may include Harmony (music), reharmonization, Musical phrasing, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or M ...

. The leaves of ''P. alba'' are narrow and corrugated, whereas leaves of ''P. pudica'' have an elongated shape and glossy, dark-green color. ''P. pudica'' is one of the everblooming types with nondeciduous,

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

leaves. Another, semi-deciduous species that retains leaves and flowers in winter is ''P. obtusa''; commonly known as "Singapore plumeria".

Flowers

''Plumeria'' trees flower from early summer to fall. Their blossoms grow in clusters on ends of the stems, they are made of tubular corolla with a length of that split sharply into five rounded and waxy petals that overlap each other. These flowers come in many colours including pink, red, white and yellow, orange, or pastel. They have separate anthers. The flowers are highly fragrant, especially at night. Their scent is perceived to have floral elements of

jasmine Jasmine (botanical name: ''Jasminum'', pronounced ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family of Oleaceae. It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are wid ...

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...

gardenia ''Gardenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Madagascar, Pacific Islands, and Australia. The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus and John Ellis after ...

, fruity aromatic notes of

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and Agriculture, cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called necta ...

vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia''). ''Vanilla'' is not Autogamy, autogamous, so pollination ...

, as well as lactonic, woody accords. However, they yield no

nectar Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to an ...

. Their scent tricks sphinx moths into pollinating them by transferring pollen from flower to flower in their fruitless search for nectar. Insects or human pollination can help create new varieties of plumeria. Plumeria trees from cross-pollinated seeds may show characteristics of the mother tree or their flowers might just have a distinct appearance. Its fruit separates into two follicles with winged seeds.

Taxonomy

Species

The genus ''Plumeria'' includes about 18 accepted species, with over 100 regarded as synonyms. ,

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

accepted the following species:

Synonyms

*The following may be designated to the nominate subspecies of '' Plumeria obtusa'' L.: ** ''Plumeria clusioides'' Griseb.http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-161613 The Plant List (RBG, Kew, MBG) access date: 2015-02-26 - Cuba ** ''Plumeria cubensis'' Urb. - Cuba ** ''Plumeria ekmanii'' Urb. - Cuba ** ''Plumeria emarginata'' Griseb. - Cuba ** ''Plumeria krugii'' Urb. - Puerto Rico ** ''Plumeria montana'' Britton & P.Wilson - Cuba ** ''Plumeria venosa'' Britton - Cuba * The following may be considered synonyms of ''P. obtusa'' var. ''sericifolia'' (C.Wright ex Griseb.) Woodson: ** ''Plumeria lanata'' Britton - Cuba ** ''Plumeria sericifolia'' C.Wright ex Griseb.http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-161615 The Plant List (RBG, Kew, MBG) access date: 2015-02-26 - Cuba ** ''Plumeria trinitensis'' Britton - Cuba ** ''Plumeria tuberculata'' G.Lodd. - Hispaniola, Bahamas ;Formerly included in genus * ''Plumeria ambigua'' Müll.Arg. = '' Himatanthus bracteatus'' (A.DC.) Woodson * ''Plumeria angustiflora'' Spruce ex Müll.Arg. = '' Himatanthus attenuatus'' (Benth.) Woodson * ''Plumeria articulata'' Vahl = '' Himatanthus articulatus'' (Vahl) Woodson * ''Plumeria attenuata'' Benth = '' Himatanthus attenuatus'' (Benth.) Woodson * ''Plumeria bracteata'' A.DC. = '' Himatanthus bracteatus'' (A.DC.) Woodson * ''Plumeria drastica'' Mart. = '' Himatanthus drasticus'' (Mart.) Plumel * ''Plumeria fallax'' Müll.Arg. = '' Himatanthus drasticus'' (Mart.) Plumel * ''Plumeria floribunda'' var ''floribunda'' = '' Himatanthus articulatus'' (Vahl) Woodson * ''Plumeria floribunda'' var. ''acutifolia'' Müll.Arg. = '' Himatanthus bracteatus'' (A.DC.) Woodson * ''Plumeria floribunda'' var. ''calycina'' Müll.Arg. = '' Himatanthus bracteatus'' (A.DC.) Woodson * ''Plumeria floribunda'' var. ''crassipes'' Müll.Arg. = '' Himatanthus bracteatus'' (A.DC.) Woodson * ''Plumeria hilariana'' Müll.Arg. = '' Himatanthus obovatus'' (Müll.Arg.) Woodson * ''Plumeria lancifolia'' Müll.Arg. = '' Himatanthus bracteatus'' (A.DC.) Woodson * ''Plumeria latifolia'' Pilg. = '' Himatanthus obovatus'' (Müll.Arg.) Woodson * ''Plumeria martii'' Müll.Arg. = '' Himatanthus bracteatus'' (A.DC.) Woodson * ''Plumeria microcalyx'' Standl. = '' Himatanthus articulatus'' (Vahl) Woodson * ''Plumeria mulongo'' Benth. = '' Himatanthus attenuatus'' (Benth.) Woodson * ''Plumeria obovata'' Müll.Arg. = '' Himatanthus obovatus'' (Müll.Arg.) Woodson * ''Plumeria oligoneura'' Malme = '' Himatanthus obovatus'' (Müll.Arg.) Woodson * ''Plumeria phagedaenica'' Benth. ex Müll.Arg. 1860 not Mart. 1831 = '' Himatanthus drasticus'' (Mart.) Plumel * ''Plumeria phagedaenica'' Mart. 1831 not Benth. ex Müll.Arg. 1860= '' Himatanthus phagedaenicus'' (Mart.) Woodson * ''Plumeria puberula'' Müll.Arg. = '' Himatanthus obovatus'' (Müll.Arg.) Woodson * ''Plumeria retusa'' Lam. = '' Tabernaemontana retusa'' (Lam.) Pichon * ''Plumeria revoluta'' Huber = ''

Himatanthus stenophyllus ''Himatanthus stenophyllus'' is a species of plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is native to Colombia, NW Brazil, Guyana, and Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered ...

'' Plumel * ''Plumeria speciosa'' Müll.Arg. = '' Himatanthus bracteatus'' (A.DC.) Woodson * ''Plumeria sucuuba'' Spruce ex Müll.Arg. = '' Himatanthus articulatus'' (Vahl) Woodson * ''Plumeria tarapotensis'' K.Schum. ex Markgr. = '' Himatanthus tarapotensis'' (K.Schum. ex Markgr.) Plumel * ''Plumeria velutina'' Müll.Arg. = '' Himatanthus obovatus'' (Müll.Arg.) Woodson * ''Plumeria warmingii'' Müll.Arg. = '' Himatanthus obovatus'' (Müll.Arg.) Woodson

Propagation

Plumeria can be propagated by seed or vegetatively propagated by cutting stem tips in spring, allowing them to dry at their bases, then planting in well-drained soil. These are particularly susceptible to rot in moist soil. Applying

rooting hormone Auxins (plural of auxin ) are a class of plant hormones (or plant-growth regulators) with some morphogen-like characteristics. Auxins play a cardinal role in coordination of many growth and behavioral processes in plant life cycles and are essent ...

to the clean fresh-cut end will enable callusing. Plumeria cuttings can also be propagated by

grafting Grafting or graftage is a horticulture, horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the roots ...

to an already rooted system. The Plumeria Society of America lists 368 registered cultivars of ''Plumeria'' as of 2009.

In culture

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...

, plumerias have carried complex symbolic significance for over two millennia, with striking examples from the

Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...

and

Aztec The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...

periods into the present. Among the Maya, plumerias have been associated with

deities A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

representing life and fertility, and the flowers also became strongly connected with female sexuality.

Nahuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...

-speaking people during the height of the

Aztec Empire The Aztec Empire, also known as the Triple Alliance (, Help:IPA/Nahuatl, �jéːʃkaːn̥ t͡ɬaʔtoːˈlóːjaːn̥ or the Tenochca Empire, was an alliance of three Nahuas, Nahua altepetl, city-states: , , and . These three city-states rul ...

used plumerias to signify elite status, and planted plumeria trees in the gardens of

nobles Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

. In the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, where plumerias were introduced early in the 1560s from Mexico, plumerias are associated with graveyards, since the strong smell of the flowers were used to mask the "smell of death". This association spread into neighboring regions in

Ternate Ternate (), also known as the City of Ternate (; ), is the List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city with the largest population in the province of North Maluku and an island in the Maluku Islands, Indonesia. It was the ''de facto'' provi ...

and into

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. In these two countries, plumerias are still often associated with

ghost In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

s and

cemeteries A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many dead people are buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ) implies th ...

. Yangsze Choo in her novel '' The Night Tiger'' for example described it as is "the graveyard flower of the Malays". Plumerias often are planted on burial grounds in all three nations. They are also common ornamental plants in houses, parks, parking lots, and other open-air establishments in the Philippines. Balinese Hindus use the flowers in their temple offerings. The plumeria's fragrance is also associated with the '' Kuntilanak'', an evil vampiric spirit of a dead mother in Malaysian-Indonesian folklores. In several Pacific islands, where plumerias were introduced in the late 19th century, such as

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

, and the

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

, ''Plumeria'' species are used for making leis. In Hawaii, the flower is called melia. In modern Polynesian culture, the flower can be worn by women to indicate their relationship status—over the right ear if seeking a relationship, and over the left if taken. '' Plumeria alba'' is the national flower of

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

, where it is known under the local name ''"champa"'' or "''dok champa"''. It is also used as the logo of Lao Airlines, the national airline of Laos. In eastern India and Bangladesh, plumeria is traditionally considered as a variety of the '' champak'' flower, the ''golok chapa'', meaning the ''champaka'' that resides in the heavenly home of

Sri Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is w ...

, a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

god at the highest realm of heaven. In Sri Lanka it is known as "Araliya" or "Temple Flower". The flower, considered sacred, is also known by the names ''gulancha'' and ''kath golap.'' In Bengali culture, most white flowers, and in particular, plumeria ( Bengali, ''chômpa'' or ''chãpa''), are associated with funerals and death. Indian

incense Incense is an aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremonial reasons. It ...

s scented with ''

Plumeria rubra ''Plumeria rubra'' is a deciduous plant species belonging to the genus ''Plumeria''."Botanica. The Illustrated AZ of over 10000 garden plants and how to cultivate them", p. 691. Könemann, 2004. Originally native to Mexico, Central America, Col ...

'' have "''champa''" in their names. For example, '' nag champa'' is an incense containing a fragrance combining plumeria and sandalwood. While plumeria is an ingredient in Indian ''champa'' incense, the extent of its use varies between family recipes. Most ''champa'' incenses also incorporate other tree resins, such as Halmaddi ('' Ailanthus triphysa'') and benzoin resin, as well as other floral ingredients, including champaca ('' Magnolia champaca''), geranium ('' Pelargonium graveolens''), and vanilla (''

Vanilla planifolia ''Vanilla planifolia'' is a species of vanilla orchid native to Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and Brazil. It is one of the primary sources for vanilla flavouring, due to its high vanillin content. Common names include flat-leaved vanilla, ...

'') to produce a more intense, plumeria-like aroma. In the Western Ghats of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

, the bride and groom exchange garlands of cream-coloured plumeria during weddings. Red-colored flowers are not used in weddings in this region. Plumeria plants are found in most of the temples in these regions. In

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

tradition A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...

, plumeria is associated with worship. One of the heavenly damsels in the frescoes of the fifth-century rock fortress

Sigiriya Sigiriya or Sinhagiri (''Lion Rock'' , , pronounced SEE-gi-ri-yə) is an ancient rock fortress located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is a site of historical and archaeologic ...

holds a five-petalled flower in her right hand that is indistinguishable from plumeria. In

Eastern Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

, frangipani are sometimes referred to in Swahili love poems. Some species of plumeria have been studied for their potential

medicinal Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

value.

In arts

The Plumeria (commonly known as Pomelia) inspired the composition "Pomelie - Miniature for Two Guitars" by Franco-Austrian composer Carlo Francesco Defranceschi, dedicated to Duo Imbesi Zangarà (Carmelo Imbesi and Carmen Zangarà). The recording of the piece was released in 2021 by the record label Classical Music 3.0, and the sheet music was published the same year by Rugginenti Classica.

Gallery

File:Frangipani 3.jpg, Red plumeria found in Nashik,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

File:Kudup dan bunga kemboja (Plumeria).JPG , Red frangipani found in

File:Bunga kemboja (Plumeria) merah.JPG , Red frangipani found in Malaysia File:Plumeria (Frangipani).jpg, Plumeria in the Jardin des Plantes de Lille, Lille, France File:Fallen Plumeria.JPG, Plumeria found in

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

File:Bunga Kemboja.jpg , Pink frangipani File:Plumeria White.jpg, White Plumeria, found at

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

File:Chempakam.jpg, White Plumeria,

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature. It is the nineteenth large ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

File:Plumeria-0006-Zachi-Evenor.jpg, ''

'' in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

File:Indian champa plumeria.jpg , Plumeria (Indian Champa) in

Surat Surat (Gujarati Language, Gujarati: ) is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat directly translates to ''face'' in Urdu, Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of t ...

File:Hot pink frangipani in full bloom.jpg, Hot pink frangipani in full bloom File:Plumeria-tree-Tel-Aviv-ZE-MK-1.jpg, Flowering tree of ''

'' decorating a garden in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

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* * {{Authority control Apocynaceae genera Flora of Central America Flora of Southern America Flora of the Caribbean Garden plants of South America