Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

General Description / Cultural Significance

Frangipani species vary greatly in size from a small shrub to a tree as tall as thirty feet with round canopies of rich, glossy green leaves. Both species are grown wild and are cultivated in gardens for their beauty and practical use. Tubular, pinwheel-shaped flowers bloom from March to October in fantastic displays of color. The blooms are picked fresh and woven into garlands worn during celebrations and ceremonies. 

The flowers are extremely sweet and fragrant, but frangipani are more than merely ornamental. It has been a part of the Caribbean culture’s medicine for generations, used as a poultice for healing bruises and ulcers, as a mosquito repellant, and as a brewed tea to treat many maladies. The flowers are used to adorn the body and are also consumed raw. In its history as herbal medicine, many parts of the plant are used to treat inflammation, digestion, skin disease, ulcers, diabetes, and more. 

Climate Change / Conservation Status

St Vincent and the Grenadines has had an ideal climate for frangipani to grow freely, and there is not an immediate threat to the plant or their number. However, like other Caribbean islands, higher temperatures and rising sea levels are of great concern. Protecting freshwater resources from saltwater infiltration is a national problem.  

Alternate Names

Plumeria
Dok Champa
Red Frangipane
Temple Tree

Sources

Petruzzello, Melissa. “Frangipani.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 7 Jan. 2025, www.britannica.com/plant/frangipani. 

Shallow, Gordon. “Plumeria Rubra Var. Acuminata.” Botanicalgarden.Gov, 2024, botanicalgarden.gov.vc/botanicalgarden/index.php/plant-collection/trees/plumeria-rubra-var-acuminata. 

Wang-Zi-Ming, Sean. “Plant of the Month: Frangipani .” JSTOR Daily, 16 Feb. 2023, daily.jstor.org/plant-of-the-month-frangipani/.