Plumeria, Champa(pink) - Plant

Description

Plumeria flowers with their beautiful colours and fragrance symbolise natural beauty!

Plumeria, which is otherwise known as Frangipani, Pagoda tree, Temple tree and West Indian Jasmine is the world’s most beloved garden plant. It is a large shrub or a tree that can be grown in tropical and sub-tropical climates.

There are about nine species of Plumerias and all of them originated from Mexico and other regions of Central America. The popular Plumeria species are Plumeria rubra, Plumeria obtusa, Plumeria pudica and Plumeria alba.

Plumerias come in all colours of the rainbow – from pure white to deep red, from pale pink to butter lemon to the vibrant shades of yellows, golds, oranges, peach, mango, lilac, blood red and so on.

They also come in bi-colours and tricolours with striped petals. And now there are many varieties developed with various shades of leaf variegations. Petal shapes also vary from thick, overlapping scalloped petals to thin, elongated ones.

The fragrances of Plumeria flowers are diverse - ranging from coconut to jasmine, including citrus, rose, honeysuckle, raspberry, spice, apricot, peach etc. Each and every Frangipani variety has unique fragrance!

The flowers are used for making scents and perfumes. Fresh flowers of Plumerias are scattered in pools and bowls for decoration. Plumerias are slow growing with swollen, succulent limbs with milky latex (The latex is not deadly except when taken in large quantities). The large, thick leaves are whorled around the tips of woody branches.

Planting and caring

• for optimum growth and require at least 6 to 7 hours of direct sun every day
• Plumerias require profuse watering but the top soil shall be dried out before the next watering.
• Plumerias will flower bigger and better, with the application of fertilizers during spring and summer
• The size of the plant can be controlled by pruning, and by doing so more branching out and thereby more blooming occurs.
• Plumerias are very hardy and have very few insect or disease problems.