Tropicals > Plumeria > Plumeria alba > Plumeria alba
Plumeria alba
Temple Tree, Frangipani, Graveyard Tree, (Australia: Dead Man's Fingers) (Thailand and Laos: Champa) (Malaysia: Cempacka) (Cambodia: Champei) (India: Champaca or Campa)
Origin: Plumeria were named by Linnaeus in honour of the French botanist Charles Plumier (1646-1704), who inaccurately was considered the first to describe the tree after one of several voyages to the Antilles. However, it was 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 used on gloves (popularly worn at the time) and later applied to pastries.The Frangipani is the national flower of The Peoples Democratic Republic of Laos.
| Family |
| Apocynaceae |
| Genus |
| Plumeria |
| Species |
| alba |
| Category |
| Tropicals |
| Type |
| Tree (deciduous) |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| 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 |
| As well as gardens and street- and park planting, frangipanis are planted in temples and cemeteries. |
| Cultivation |
| Tolerant of a wide variety of soils, from acid to alkaline and sandy to clay. |
| Growth |
| Fast |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| Thin grey bark. |
| Leaf Description |
| Lanceolate leaves and are often curled at the edges. |
| Flower Description |
| The large flowers are terminal, appearing at the ends of branches over the summer. Often profuse and very prominent, they are strongly fragrant, and have five petals. They are white with a yellow centre. |
| Fruit Description |
| The leathery follicles are held in pairs and are grey-black in colour, 18 cm long, containing 20-60 winged seeds; their occurrence is rare. |
| Propagation |
| Readily propagated by cuttings of branches taken in cooler months and left to dry (callus) for a week or more. |
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