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Plumeria

White Plumeria

Pink Plumeria

Also called Frangipani!

So, these might not be the best photos – but I was pumped to identify them. These are from Pinecrest Park in S. Miami near our old apartment. 

Plumeria are from Mexico and Central America but have spread widely to tropical zones all over the world, especially Hawaii. They are commonly used in making leis because they smell so darn sweet and they are fairly hardy plants that don’t wilt too easily. The flowers range from white to pink to yellow. 

Plumeria & Insects
First, plumeria is related to Oleander and shares its poisonous qualities. Beyond not being safe to eat, the plumeria is devious in other ways as well! The flower smells extremely sweet – but is most fragrant at night. They release the scent to attract the sphynx moth to pollinate the flower. The moth comes searching for the delicious nectar that belongs to the sweet smelling plumeria, but alas – the flower is nectar-less and the pollen is spread by the sphynx moth’s fruitless search for food from bloom to bloom. The plumeria is also susceptible to several insect pests like borers, whiteflies, spidermites and thrips.

Plumeria in Popular Culture
The dark side
- Malay cultural beliefs associate the smell of the plumeria flower with a vampire (pontianak)
- Some Asian cultures believe the flower doubles as  shelter for demons and ghosts
- In Bangladesh, white plumeria flowers are associated with funerals

A bit lighter
- In Polynesia & Hawaii, beyond leis these flowers are commonly used to symbolize relationship status (right ear – lookin’ for love, left ear – taken!)
- The flower is associated with some Hindu and Buddhist temples
- Plumeria is the national flower for Laos and Nicaragua

Want some of your own? They are actually pretty easy to keep if you live in a subtropical or tropical zone. To propagate the plant you only need to cut a non-blooming stem from an already mature plant and put it in the ground. It will grow into its own Plumeria plant!