Tropicals > Plumeria > Plumeria rubra > Plumeria rubra
Plumeria rubra
Frangipani, Red Frangipani, Common Frangipani, Temple Tree, Graveyard Tree, Australia: Dead Man's Fingers, Thailand and Laos: Champa, Malaysia: Cempacka, Cambodia: Champei, India: Champaca or Campa
Origin: The genus was named by Linnaeus in honour of the French botanist Charles Plumier (1646 - 1704), who was thought to be the first to describe the tree after one of several voyages to the Antilles. It was actually first described by the Spanish priest Francisco Mendoza in 1522. The common name frangipani is attributed to the Italian, Marquis Frangipani who, in the 16th century, developed a perfume from the plant. It was used on gloves and later applied to pastries. P. rubra is the national flower of The People's Democratic Republic of Laos.
| Family |
| Apocynaceae |
| Genus |
| Plumeria |
| Species |
| rubra |
| Category |
| Tropicals |
| Type |
| Tree (deciduous) |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 12 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| Requires cool season protection under glass. |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H1b |
| Temperature (°C) |
| 10 - 16 |
| Temperature (°F) |
| 50 - 60 |
| Height |
| 7 - 8 m |
| Spread |
| 7 - 8 m |
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Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| Plumeria rubra is one of the most widespread trees in the tropics since it is easy to propagate, flowers for a long period in many colours, is fragrant and copes well with the heat and humidity. It is not a big tree and can be quite variable in form and character depending on the specific growing conditions and the plants age. It may be completely denuded of leaves, appearing dead when water is inadequate yet when tropical rains are forthcoming it will be covered in large, glossy leaves and fragrant blooms. Where climatic conditions are intermittent its growth and character will also be. |
| Landscape |
| Works well in street and park plantings and often used in temples and cemeteries. |
| Cultivation |
| Tolerant of a wide variety of soils, from acid to alkaline and sandy to clay. |
| Growth |
| Fast |
| Habitat |
| Mexico, Central America, Colombia and Venezuela. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| Thin and grey. |
| Leaf Description |
| Large, green, 30 - 50 cm long with very orderly, pinnate venation (secondary veins paired oppositely), arranged alternately and clustered at the ends of branches. |
| Flower Description |
| Five rounded, silky petals slightly overlap in a whorl; ranging from common pink to white with shades of yellow in the centre, terminal, often profuse and intensely fragrant. |
| Fruit Description |
| The leathery follicles are held in pairs and are grey-black in colour, 18 cm long, containing 20 - 60 winged seeds. |
| Notable Specimens |
| Suan Packkad Palace, Bangkok, Thailand. Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden, Chiang Mai, Thailand. |
| Propagation |
| Readily propagated by branch cuttings taken in the cooler months and left to dry (callus) for a week or more. |
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