Frangipani

Where it grows

Frangipani is native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Spanish traders carried it to the Philippines in the 17th century, and it spread quickly across tropical Asia. It thrives in poor soils, full sun, and drought, but is killed by hard frost.

How to recognise it

A short tree with thick, blunt, grey, milky-sap-filled branches that look almost dead in the dry season after the leaves drop. The leathery, oblong leaves cluster at the branch tips. The waxy five-petalled flowers — white, yellow, pink, or red — appear in clusters and release a powerful sweet fragrance, strongest at night.

Uses

The flowers are strung into Hawaiian lei garlands, scattered on Indonesian and Indian temple altars, and floated in finger bowls at weddings. Essential oil is steam-distilled for high-end perfumery. The pliable wood was used in Maya tradition for ceremonial drums.

In culture

In Indonesia, frangipani is the kamboja, planted in graveyards and considered sacred. Across the Pacific the flower behind the right ear means “available,” behind the left “spoken for.”