flower image : Frangipanis

Frangipanis (known by their botanic name Plumeria in America) bring a heady, romantic fragrance to the garden, as well as a wide choice of warm, tropical colours.

In Australia, frangipanis are sold by colour, rather than variety, and the further north you go, the wider the colour choice.

Frangipani was the name of an Italian perfume used to scent gloves in the 16th century and named after its creator, the Marquis Frangipani. When the frangipani flower was discovered its natural perfume reminded people of the scented gloves, and so the flower was called frangipani. The genus name, Plumeria, commemorates Charles Plumier, a seventeenth century French botanist.

Plumeria rubra
Native to Central America, Mexico and Venezuela, this deciduous tree grows from 5-8m tall (15-24'). The leaves are dark green and shiny, and have a prominent midrib. Like all plumeria, the stems and leaves contain a white, milky sap. There are at least four distinct forms of this species:

acutifolia - white flowers with yellow centres
lutea - yellow flowers sometimes flushed pink
rubra - deep pink flowers with yellow centres
tricolor - white flowers with yellow centres and a red or pink tips
Many of the forms of Plumeria rubra are grown in Australian gardens but the most commonly seen is Plumeria rubra f. acutifolia. Named cultivars are less readily available. Frangipanis will grow and flower well as far south as Sydney and Perth, particularly in coastal gardens. In colder or inland areas grow them against a warm masonry wall, in a north facing position and protect them from frost.

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