Plumeria | Frangipani

The name "Plumeria" is attributed to Charles Plumier, a 17th Century French botanist who described several tropical species, although according to author Peter Loewer, Plumier was not the first to describe Plumeria. That honour goes to Francisco de Mendoza, a Spanish priest who did so in 1522. The name, frangipani, comes from the Italian nobleman, Marquis Frangipani, who created a perfume used to scent gloves in the 16th century. When the frangipani flower was discovered its natural perfume reminded people of the scented gloves, and so the flower was called frangipani. Another version has it that the name, frangipani, is from the French frangipanier which is a type of coagulated milk that Plumeria milk resembles.

Know your Plumerias

Plumeria rubra

The Most common

In shades of white, yellow, orange, pink and red

Most fragrant

Oval shaped petails

Leaves are long and oval cuneiform

Plumeria obtusa

Known as "Singapura White";

Shades od white and pink;

Rounder petails;

Leaves are long and spatulated

Plumeria pudica

In shades of white aor cream, more recently pink;

Rounder petails than rubra;

Petails don't arch back like P.obtusa;

Leaves in peculiar spoon-shape

Plumeria stenophylla

Petails are long and thin, with a wider gap between them;

In shades of white and cream;

Leaves are linear, and thiner