Plumeria Symbolism
The name of the frangipani flower dates to the 16th one C , when an Italian Lord named Frangipani produce a perfume based on the evocative and powerful odor of this beloved heyday .
Also call Plumiera after the French phytologist Charles Plumier , the frangipani tree ( Plumeriaspp . ; USDA hardiness zone 10 to 12 ) has prove an important shoes in the cultures of Asia , Central America and the Pacific Islands , let in Hawaii , where visitors are frequently recognize with plumeria leis upon arriver or at of import events .
Plumeria is a genus belonging to the family Apocynaceae , normally referred to as dogbane . As a tropical mintage , itrequires ardent tempsbut can be grown as a houseplant outside of its growing zones .
The Frangipani Flower in Culture
bloom have played a symbolical role for century across multiple civilization , and the frangipani peak is a large example of this . Some cultures that value this flower for more than its botanic characteristics let in the following :
Hawaii
In Hawaii , plumeria is sometimes calledpua melia , and it ’s widely planted and used in celebrations . In song and dance , the plumeria is offered as both ahumble leiof simple flowers and as a symbol of phratry , greeting and aloha .
Mexico and Central America
While plumeria ’s association with Asia and Polynesia suggests it might be native to those areas , it is instead compulsive to have appeared ab initio in Central Mexico .
Many flowers , including genus Plumeria , were a source of inspiration among ancient peoples , but plumeria , accord to theUniversity of Hawaii , may have been synonymous with " flower " in the Mayan culture , where it was considered the quintessential bloom .
It was colligate with breathing space , as its stalk present an umbilical electric cord ; Mayan texts describe death as the end of a mortal ’s " white flower spirit " in which the flower being referred to is wide believed to be plumeria .
In Aztec culture , the plumeria was used to represent the gods , in which white-hot plumeria was the mother and ruby-red plumeria the don of the god Nohochakyum . The flower further represented elite position . Plumerias were set in the garden of nobility and give as gift during feasts and celebration .
Asia
It is believed that early Spaniards spread the plumeria to the Philippines in the 1500s , followed by other field of Southeast Asia . It is the prescribed flower of Laos and has also been called the " prime of Cambodia . " In the Moluccas , it is grown around gravesites because lamenter believe that its fragrance can enthrall unseeable spirits and prayers .
Buddhistic temples are oftentimes adorned with plumeria tree diagram , and white plumeria is sometimes used as bridal flowers . In the Buddhist cultivation , bouquets incorporate ruddy species are primarily found at funeral or gravesites .
In India , incense is oftentimes infused with Plumiera , in which they are often calledchampa , which is a term for " flower " in India .
Species of Frangipani
The plumeria genus comprises three species : Plumeria alba , Plumeria rubraandPlumeria obtusa .
Plumeria albais the largest species , growing up to 40 invertebrate foot tall with a 25 - foot spread . Its common name is white frangipani , but it is also referred to as " nosegay . “Plumeria obtusa , also phone blank frangipani in addition to Singapore graveyard flower , Singapore plumeria or pagoda Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , has white flowers and grow from 10 to 15 feet in high spirits .
Confusingly , Plumeria rubrais also called nosegay or frangipani , but this species ' flower are red .
