Plumeria flowers are most fragrant at night in order to
lure sphinx moths to pollinate them. The flowers have no nectar, and simply dupe
their pollinators. The moths inadvertently pollinate them by transferring pollen
from flower to flower in their fruitless search for nectar.
"Plumeria" species are easily propagated by
taking a cutting of leafless stem tips in Spring and allowing them to dry at the
base before inserting them into soil. They are also propagated via tissue
culture both from cuttings of freshly elongated stems and aseptically germinated
seed.
The easiest way to get started with your first Plumeria
is to get a cutting from a nursery or online. Cuttings are usually about 15
inches long and can be stored for up to a year before being planted. Rooting a
cutting is easy. Just create a potting mix of 50% cactus mix and 50% potting
soil. Dip the dried end of your cutting into Clonex or Rootone then stick your
Plumeria cutting into the new soil mix down to about 3 inches.
At this point the cutting is susceptible to rotting if the soil is kept wet. It
is recommended that you water the cutting sparingly until it has several well
formed leaves. If the weather is hot you can lightly water every couple of days.
Just be sure the soil is dry most of the time. The cutting will develop roots in
about 6 weeks. You will know that the roots have begun to grow when the leaves
begin to form.
After the Plumeria begins to
grow you will be able to establish a water and feed schedule. They are easy to
care for and do not require a lot of attention. Just look wait for the soil to
become dry and then water the plant. The watering could occur every few days or
as little as every week. It will depend on your climate whether it is dry, hot,
wet, or cool. You need to consider the root ball. A large root may need a larger
container in which the soil will need more moisture. You just don’t want the
Plumeria to be wet all the time. Let it become dry
occasionally. To get better flowers you will need fertilization for your plant.
It needs a lot of nutrients, such as 10-50-10, as the 10 and 50 will offer
better branching and flowers. You will need to fertilize 1 to 2 times in a
month.
They can be kept in pots and brought in during the winter or kept
as a house plant. Be sure to increase the size of your pot once the roots begin
to come out the holes at the bottom. Remember that Plumeria
need lots of direct sunlight. If you are going to keep it in the house or even
if it is outside, be sure it gets at least 6 hours of sunlight for best growth
and flowering.
The genus, originally spelled Plumiera, 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 an Italian noble family, a sixteenth-century marquess of
which invented a plumeria-scented perfume. Many English speakers also
simply use the generic name "plumeria".
They are now common naturelised plants in southern and
southeastern Aisia, and in local folk beliefs provide shelter to ghosts
and demons. The scent of the Plumeria has been associated with a vampire in
Malay folklore, the pontianak. They are associated with temples in
both Hindu and Buddhist cultures, though Hindus do not use the
flowers in their temple offerings.
In several Pacific islands, such as Thailand, Tahiti, Fiji,
Hawaii, New Zealand, Tonga and the Cook Islands, Plumeria is used for making
leis. In modern Polynesian culture, it can be worn by women to indicate their
relationship status - over the right ear if seeking a relationship, and over the
left if taken.
P. alba is the national flower of Nicaragua, and
Laos, where it is known under the local name "Sacuanjoche" (Nicaragua)
and "Champa" (Laos).
In Bangladeshi Culture most white flowers, and particularly
plumeria (Bengali চম্পা chômpa or চাঁপা chãpa), are associated with
funerals and death.
