The Plumeria and Frangipani Flower: Its Meanings & Symbolism

Few tropical flowers are as delicate and pure looking as the Plumeria. Also commonly known as frangipani, this flower is native to South America and the Caribbean Islands. Even if you do not live in a climate zone warm enough for growing your own Plumeria outside year around, you can grow them in pots and protect them from frost and winter cold. Even if you don’t grow Plumeria, you can appreciate this bloom’s rich scent and inspiring meaning. Explore the history and power of this flower to find out how to use it as a potent symbol for personal development or for making meaningful arrangements.

What Does the Frangipani Flower Mean?

A few different cultures have assigned meanings to the Frangipani flower, including modern American culture. These meanings include:

• The strength to withstand tough challenges
• Connecting with spirits and ghosts
• Welcoming guests and inviting them to stay, due to its use in Hawaiian leis
• Intense love and a lasting bond between two people
• Immortality and spiritual devotion spread over multiple lifetimes

The Mayans and other Mesoamericans held this flower in very high esteem, as evidenced by the extensive carvings and paintings found that feature the blooms. However, it’s not currently known what exactly the plumeria means to them. The flower is still used today in religious rituals from Hindu, Buddhist, Balinese, and Swahili cultures.

Etymology and Common Names of the Plumeria Flower

All Frangipani varieties fall under the scientific name of Plumeria. The Frangipani title was derived from a 16th century nobleman named Marquis Frangipani. He created a unique perfume that became very popular for scenting gloves, so when the flower arrived in Europe shortly afterward and produced a scent very similar to his perfume, the name stuck.

The genus is named in honor of the seventeenth-century French botanist Charles Plumier, who traveled to the New World documenting many plant and animal species. The common name “frangipani” comes from a sixteenth-century marquis of the noble family in Italy who claimed to invent a plumeria-scented perfume but, in reality, made a synthetic perfume that was said at the time to resemble the odor of the recently discovered flowers. Many English speakers also use the generic name “plumeria”.

In Persian, the name is yas or yasmin. In Bengali the name is “Kath Golap”, in Hindi, champa, in Gujarati language, “Champo”, in Marathi chafa, in Telugu deva ganneru (divine nerium), in Meitei khagi leihao. In Hawaii, the name is melia, although common usage is still ‘plumeria’. In Malayalam, it is called pāla and chempakam. In Sri Lanka, it is referred to as araliya (අරලිය) and (in English) as the ‘Temple Tree’. In Cantonese, it is known as gaai daan fa or the ‘egg yolk flower’ tree. The name lilawadi (originating from Thai) is found occasionally. In Indonesia, where the flower has been commonly associated with Balinese culture, it is known as kamboja, in Bali especially it is known as jepun. In French Polynesia it is called tipanie or tipanier and tīpani in the Cook Islands. In the Philippines, it is called kalachuchi.

Symbolism of the Plumeria Flower

Modern florists often recommend the Plumeria as a gift for someone who has endured many challenges because this plant must be heated over 500 degrees F to catch alight and start burning. Aside from a natural toughness, the delicate look of the flower makes it a symbol of grace, wealth, and perfection across Asia. However, many people in China and Vietnam consider it unlucky because of a folk belief that ghosts and other spirits live in the branches of the bush. As a wedding flower across southern India, it symbolizes a marriage couple’s lasting bond. Chinese people also use it to indicate affection and love when speaking about those feelings openly is inappropriate. Swahili poets also use it as a symbol of love, while Buddhist and Hindu followers consider it a sign of immortality and the continuation of the soul after death.

Plumeria Flower Color Meaning

This plant can produce flowers ranging from pure white to yellow, pink, red, orange, violet and multi-colors (no Blues). Most of them share the same meanings, except for the white flower in Indian culture. Red flowers aren’t used for weddings, so only white and cream colored Plumeria are considered appropriate for declaring love between two people.

Meaningful Botanical Characteristics of the Plumeria Flower

The Plumeria is mainly used as a source of perfume oil and for decorating around houses and temples. However, some researchers are using plumeria as potential treatments for a variety of health problems, including cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Special Occasions for the Plumeria Flowers

Give the gift of a fragrant Plumeria for:

• Weddings, especially between two very compatible people
• Cheering up a friend after a difficult time
• Honoring the spirits of loved ones
• Reminding yourself of the immortality of the soul

Taxonomy

The genus Plumeria includes more than a dozen accepted species and one or two dozen open to review, with over a hundred regarded as synonyms.

Plumeria species have a milky latex that, like many other Apocynaceae contains poisonous compounds that irritate the eyes and skin. The various species differently in their leaf shape and arrangement. The leaves of Plumeria alba are narrow and corrugated, whereas the leaves of Plumeria pudica have an elongated shape and glossy, dark-green color. Plumeria pudica is one of the everblooming types with non-deciduous, evergreen leaves. Another species that retains leaves and flowers in winter is Plumeria obtusa; though its common name is “Singapore,” it is originally from Colombia. 

Accepted species:

1. Plumeria alba – Puerto Rico, Lesser Antilles
2. Plumeria clusioides (Synonym of Plumeria obtusa L. – Cuba
3. Plumeria cubensis (Synonym of Plumeria obtusa L.) – Cuba
4. Plumeria ekmanii (Synonym of Plumeria obtusa L.) – Cuba
5. Plumeria emarginata (Synonym of Plumeria obtusa L.) – Cuba
6. Plumeria filifolia – Cuba
7. Plumeria inodora – Guyana, Colombia, Venezuela (incl Venezuelan islands in Caribbean)
8. Plumeria krugii (Synonym of Plumeria obtusa L.) – Puerto Rico
9. Plumeria lanataBritton (Synonym of Plumeria obtusa var. sericifolia (C.Wright ex Griseb.) Woodson) – Cuba
10. Plumeria magnaZanoni & M.M.Mejía- Dominican Republic
11. Plumeria montanaBritton & P.Wilson(now a synonym of Plumeria obtusa L.) – Cuba
12. Plumeria obtusa– West Indies including Bahamas; southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Florida; naturalized in China
13. Plumeria pudica– Panama, Colombia, Venezuela (incl Venezuelan islands in Caribbean)
14. Plumeria rubra– Mexico, Central America, Venezuela; naturalized in China, the Himalayas, West Indies, South America, and numerous oceanic islands
15. Plumeria sericifoliaWright ex Griseb.(Demoted to Plumeria obtusa var. sericifolia (C.Wright ex Griseb.) Woodson) – Cuba
16. Plumeria × stenopetala
17. Plumeria × stenophylla– Mexico and Central America
18. Plumeria subsessilisDC.- Hispaniola
19. Plumeria trinitensisBritton(Synonym of Plumeria obtusa var. sericifolia (C.Wright ex Griseb.) Woodson) – Cuba
20. Plumeria tuberculataLodd.(Synonym of Plumeria obtusa var. sericifolia (C.Wright ex Griseb.) Woodson) – Hispaniola, Bahamas
21. Plumeria venosaBritton(Synonym of Plumeria obtusa L.) – Cuba

Formerly included in genus:

1. Plumeria ambiguaMüll.Arg. = Himatanthus bracteatus (A.DC.) Woodson
2. Plumeria angustifloraSpruce ex Müll.Arg. = Himatanthus attenuatus (Benth.) Woodson
3. Plumeria articulataVahl = Himatanthus articulatus (Vahl) Woodson
4. Plumeria attenuataBenth = Himatanthus attenuatus (Benth.) Woodson
5. Plumeria bracteataDC. = Himatanthus bracteatus (A.DC.) Woodson
6. Plumeria drastica = Himatanthus drasticus (Mart.) Plumel
7. Plumeria fallaxMüll.Arg. = Himatanthus drasticus (Mart.) Plumel
8. Plumeria floribundavar floribunda = Himatanthus articulatus (Vahl) Woodson
9. Plumeria floribundaacutifolia Müll.Arg. = Himatanthus bracteatus (A.DC.) Woodson
10. Plumeria floribundacalycina Müll.Arg. = Himatanthus bracteatus (A.DC.) Woodson
11. Plumeria floribundacrassipes Müll.Arg. = Himatanthus bracteatus (A.DC.) Woodson
12. Plumeria hilarianaMüll.Arg.= Himatanthus obovatus (Müll.Arg.) Woodson
13. Plumeria lancifoliaMüll.Arg.= Himatanthus bracteatus (A.DC.) Woodson
14. Plumeria latifolia= Himatanthus obovatus (Müll.Arg.) Woodson
15. Plumeria martiiMüll.Arg.= Himatanthus bracteatus (A.DC.) Woodson
16. Plumeria microcalyx= Himatanthus articulatus (Vahl) Woodson
17. Plumeria mulongo= Himatanthus attenuatus (Benth.) Woodson
18. Plumeria obovataMüll.Arg.= Himatanthus obovatus (Müll.Arg.) Woodson
19. Plumeria oligoneuraMalme= Himatanthus obovatus (Müll.Arg.) Woodson
20. Plumeria phagedaenica ex Müll.Arg. 1860 not Mart. 1831= Himatanthus drasticus (Mart.) Plumel
21. Plumeria phagedaenica 1831 not Benth. ex Müll.Arg. 1860= Himatanthus phagedaenicus(Mart.) Woodson
22. Plumeria puberulaMüll.Arg.= Himatanthus obovatus (Müll.Arg.) Woodson
23. Plumeria retusa= Tabernaemontana retusa (Lam.) Pichon
24. Plumeria revolutaHuber= Himatanthus stenophyllus Plumel
25. Plumeria speciosaMüll.Arg.= Himatanthus bracteatus (A.DC.) Woodson
26. Plumeria sucuubaSpruce ex Müll.Arg.= Himatanthus articulatus (Vahl) Woodson
27. Plumeria tarapotensisSchum. ex Markgr.= Himatanthus tarapotensis (K.Schum. ex Markgr.) Plumel
28. Plumeria velutinaMüll.Arg.= Himatanthus obovatus (Müll.Arg.) Woodson
29. Plumeria warmingiiMüll.Arg.= Himatanthus obovatus (Müll.Arg.) Woodson

Additional information is available and references are Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumeria.

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