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Plumeria (Charles Plumier, 1646-1706, distinguished French botanist). Also spelled Plumiera and Plumieria. ApocynaceaeTropical trees grown for their showy and very fragrant flowers.
Leaves alternate, penninerved, the primary veins joined to a nerve running parallel with the margin: fls. in terminal 2-3-chotomous cymes: bracts usually large and covering the young buds but deciduous long before anthesis; corolla-tube cylindrical throughout; stamens included, near the base of the tube; disk wanting or fleshy and covering the tube of the calyx; ovules in many series: follicles 2.—About 50 species, all Troc. American, of which 2 kinds at present are offered in s. Calif, and 2 in S. Fla. The species are much confused and imperfectly understood.
Plumerias are amongst the most fragrant of tropical flowers, vying in this respect with the jessamine. Cape jasmine, and tuberose. They have large waxy funnel- shaped flowers with 5 spreading lobes of white, yellow, rose-purple, or combinations of the three colors. Choice specimens have been known to bear clusters 9 inches across, composed of more than twenty flowers each 3 1/2 inches across. They are considerably cultivated in all tropical lands. In the Pacific islands, P. acutifolia is frequent in graveyards. The word frangipani is supposed to be from the French, franchipaniercoagulated milk, referring to the tenacious white juice which exudes plentifully from the wounded plant. Other accounts suppose it to have come from an Italian noble- man of that name who in the Middle Ages compounded a perfume of many ingrediente and which the odor of these flowers resembled. All species are likely to be called frangipani. Plumerias are essentially summer-growing plants. Keep rather dry in 3081. Plumeria acutifolia.
winter. Propagation is by cuttings in February or March.
The following species have been intro. and more or less cult, abroad: P. bicolort Ruiz & Pav. Tree, up to 40 ft. high: lvs. oblong, acuminate, margins revolute: fls. white, yellow at throat. Peru. B.R. 480. J.H. III. 50:19.—P. Jamemnii, Hook. Four feet high: lvs. mostly at tips of branches: as. yellow, deeply tinged with red. Ecuador. B.M. 4751.—P. Lambertiana., Lindl. Ten feet high: lvs. oblong, acuminate, flat: fls. white, yellow-throated, with broad- rhomboid obtuse segms. May to Aug. Mex. B.R. 1378.—P. lutea, Ruiz & Pav. Ten to 20 feet high: lvs. crowded at ends of branches, 8-18 in. long, oblong-ovate: fls. white, flushed very pale pink with a broad pale golden yellow center. Peru. B.M. 5779. G.C. III. 39:408.—P. tricolor, Ruiz A Pav. (P. Kerii, Don). Fifteen feet high: lvs. obovate-oblong, tapering at both ends: fls. with a yellow throat, white above the yellow and bright rose around the segm. margin. July-Oct. Peru. B.R, 510.—P. tuberculata, Lodd. Six feet high: branches tuberculate: lvs. coriaceous, narrow- oblong, tapering into the petioles: fis. white, scentless. Aug. Santo Domingo - WILHELM MILLER.
F. TRACY HUBBARD.
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