Plumeria alba
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.
Common names
- caterpillar tree
- pagoda tree
- pigeon wood
- nosegay tree
- white frangipani
- frangipanier à fleurs blanches (French)[3]
- châmpéi sâ (Khmer)[3]
- hoa chăm pa(Vietnamese)
Gallery
-
-
-
Foliage with caterpillars
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
External links