In need of a tropical escape?
Natalie Carpenter is a 3rd year horticultural apprentice at Dunedin Botanic Garden.For a taste of the tropics, stroll on into the winter garden glasshouse at Dunedin Botanic Garden. Growing in this lush tropical oasis you will find Plumeria rubra, a common plant in tropical and sub-tropical climates, renowned for its beautiful flowers. I love this plant so much I chose it for my wedding bouquet last year in Rarotonga.
Known as frangipani in this part of the world, it is native to Mexico, Central America, Colombia and Venezuela. This wide distribution has given it many common names, from “egg flower” in southern China to “dead man’s fingers” in Australia, as the deciduous branches are thick, leafless and finger like.
The most remarkable feature of the flower is its enchanting scent, whisking you back to when you first smelt it. The scent is strongest at night, attracting sphinx moths in to pollinate. This is a cruel trick as frangipani produce no nectar to feed the moth.
Frangipani is so popular in the Pacific its flower is used in making leis. It is said that Polynesian women use it to convey availability – if worn behind the left ear the woman is in a relationship and the right if she is single.
- Grow Plumeria rubra inside as it won’t tolerate being outside in Dunedin.
- Propagations can be made from seed or cutting.
- Take cuttings when plants are dormant and dry to minimise rot.
- It is prone to root rot so use well drained potting mix.