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Apocynaceae
Red Frangipani
Plumeria rubra
Devotion, beauty, and spiritual connection.
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Genus
- Plumeria
- Native to
- Mexico, Central America, Venezuela
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Type
- deciduous tree
- Height
- 5–8 m
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, sandy to loamy
- Water
- low to medium; drought-tolerant
- Hardiness
- 10–12
- Lifespan
- long-lived; 50+ years
Did you know
- Frangipani flowers are used to make Hawaiian leis and are deeply associated with tropical island culture.
- The name 'frangipani' comes from a 16th-century Italian nobleman who created a perfume mimicking the scent.
- In Bali and other Hindu cultures, frangipani is planted at temples and cemeteries as a spiritual symbol.
- The milky sap is mildly toxic and can irritate skin, yet the flowers themselves are used in traditional medicine.
- Plumeria can be propagated from large cuttings — a branch stuck in soil will often root and grow into a tree.
Color meanings
Red
passionate devotion
Pink
tender love
White
spiritual purity