Plumeria obtusa

Plumeria obtusa
Leaves in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Plumeria
Species: P. obtusa
Binomial name
Plumeria obtusa
L.
Synonyms[1]

Plumeria obtusa is a species of the genus Plumeria (Apocynaceae). It is native to West Indies including Bahamas; southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Florida.[2][3] but widely cultivated for its ornamental and fragrant flowers around the world, where suitably warm climate exists. It is reportedly naturalized in China.[4][5]

Description

The large shrub grows from 5-10m tall (c.12–25 ft)[4][6]

Distribution

Plumeria obtusa is native to the Greater Antilles, Florida, northern Central America and southern Mexico.[3] Cultivation is common in warmer parts of the world, including Southeast Asia.

Common Names

Uses

This plant is commonly used as an ornamental, grown for its flowers. In Cambodia the flowers are used to make necklaces and in offerings to the deities.[4] In traditional medicine used in that country, a decoction of the bark is given in varying doses as a purgative or as a remedy against oedemas.

References

  1. ↑ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  2. ↑ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Plumeria obtusa". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Dy Phon Pauline, 2000, Plants Used In Cambodia, printed by Imprimierie Olympic, Phnom Penh
  5. ↑ Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 154 钝叶鸡蛋花 dun ye ji dan hua Plumeria obtusa Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 210. 1753.
  6. ↑ Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.