Plumeria alba

Plumeria alba
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Plantae
Clade:Angiosperms
Clade:Eudicots
Clade:Asterids
Order:Gentianales
Family:Apocynaceae
Genus:Plumeria
Species: P. alba
Binomial name
Plumeria alba
Synonyms[2]
  • Plumeria revolutifolia Stokes

Plumeria alba is a species of the genus Plumeria (Apocynaceae). This 2-8m evergreen shrub has narrow elongated leaves, large and strongly perfumed white flowers with a yellow center. Native to Central America and the Caribbean, it is now common and naturalized in southern and southeastern Asia. It is the national flower of Laos, known as Dok Champa and the symbol of lucky.

Common names

  • caterpillar tree
  • pagoda tree
  • pigeon wood
  • nosegay tree
  • white frangipani
  • frangipanier à fleurs blanches (French)[3]
  • Lee La Wa Dee (Thai)
  • châmpéi sâ (Khmer)[3]
  • hoa chăm pa(Vietnamese)
  • kamboja (bahasa indonesia)
  • Dok Champa (Laotian)

Uses

P. alba is often cultivated as an ornamental plant. In Cambodia pagodas especially choose this shrub, with the flowers used in ritual offerings to the deities, they are sometimes used to make necklaces which decorate coffins.[3] In addition, the flowers are edible and eaten as fritters, while the heart of the wood is part of a traditional medical preparation taken as a vermifuge or as a laxative.

References

  1. "Plant Name Details for Plumeria alba" (HTML). International Plant Names Index (IPNI). International Organization for Plant Information (IOPI). Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  2. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 Dy Phon Pauline, 2000, Plants Utilised In Cambodia, printed by Imprimirie Olympic, Phnom Penh


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