Plumeria obtusa - Frangipani

Plumeria obtusa, like other species of Frangipani, originates from tropical America. Unlike other tropical Frangipani, it does not lose its leaves during the dry season. Like others, it forms a large bush or small tree with glossy dark green leaves and produces beautiful white flowers, the most fragrant in the genus. These flowers bloom throughout the year in their native lands, enchanting passing travellers. This plant is not hardy in our climate and should therefore be grown in a container to be protected as soon as temperatures drop. It will then form a bush up to 2.50m (8ft) or 3m (10ft) high, which requires a suitable and bright location.

Frangipani belongs to the large family Apocynaceae, which includes about 350 genera and 5000 species, most of which are found in tropical and subtropical areas. However, some genera also grow in Mediterranean regions, such as Oleander (Nerium oleander) or Carissa, and even in temperate zones, such as Periwinkle (Vinca). These are often toxic plants, many of which contain latex, but some are also used for medicinal purposes.
The Plumeria genus includes 7 species (or 8 according to classifications do not recognize P. acuminata as a synonym of P. rubra), native to subtropical and tropical regions of America, and which have been planted under the same climates in Africa and Asia, becoming almost a symbol of the tropics. The genus name comes from the botanist Charles Plumier, while the common name comes from the Italian nobleman, Marquis Frangipani, the inventor of a popular perfume. Legend has it that when European travellers in the Caribbean discovered a tree with a similar fragrance, they named it after him.
Plumeria obtusa is very similar to other species, while distinguishing itself with its evergreen foliage and almost continuous flowering. It is a purely tropical species, whose distribution ranges from the south of Florida (the Florida Keys) to the Caribbean, and from Mexico to the small state of Belize. It grows at altitudes ranging from sea level to 900m (2953ft), in different ecological environments: dry coastal forests, lowland rainforests, coastal thickets, and savannas.
It forms a small tree up to 6 or 8m (20 or 26ft) in height, with a relatively spreading habit and fleshy brown-green branches. The dark green, glossy, leathery foliage is composed of elongated obovate leaves, with blades 15 to 18cm (6 to 7in) long and 5 to 8cm (2 to 3in) wide, carried by petioles 1 to 4cm (1 to 2in) long. This beautiful evergreen foliage serves as a backdrop for almost uninterrupted flowers that are produced throughout the seasons. The corymbs bear numerous buds that open into immaculate white flowers, tinged with yellow at the centre. The corolla has a relatively short tube, from 0.9 to 2cm (1in), which opens into 5 more or less oval and gracefully curved petals. With a diameter of 6cm (2in) or more, these flowers exude a powerful lemony fragrance that surpasses that of other Frangipani.

Outside the tropics, this Frangipani must be grown in containers to be protected during winter. It is a strictly tropical plant that cannot be planted in the ground anywhere else.  As the root system is constrained in its development by the size of the container, this will limit its size to 2.50m to 3m (8 to 10ft) . It is a magnificent plant, but you can only adopt it if you have a heated conservatory or a large, very bright room, otherwise it may wither due to lack of light.  In these conditions, it will allow you to create a very distinctive tropical atmosphere with its unique design. In summer, you can place it on your terrace or along a pathway, in front of a bed composed of plants with an exotic appearance, but hardy enough to withstand winter outdoors. A curtain of bamboo made up of Fargesia robusta Wolong, a beautiful non-running species with yellow culms under the sun, will be perfect to create a background for your scene. In front of it, place other plants with a strong visual appeal, such as Musa basjoo Sakhalin, a Japanese Banana with beautiful typical leaves of the genus. Schefflera taiwaniana with its large, deeply cut palmate leaves will also fit perfectly into this distant horizons spirit.grouping.

While advertisers often use these flowers to convey an image of tropical beauty in shampoos, they can have a very different image in some Asian countries. For example, in the Philippines, where it is called Kalachuchi, it is associated with death because it is traditionally planted near cemeteries. But since Filipinos don't like to be sad, they also plant it as an ornamental tree in their gardens and use it to make necklaces.