Plumeria is the most common flower that you'll find in Hawaii since it is used in most leis that are given to visitors. It is, however, not native to Hawaii. It is native to tropical and subtropical America. It was named for the 17th century French botanist Charles Plumier who documented numerous plants in the Americas.
Plumeria can be grown in large shrubs or even tall trees. The flowers are found in colors of white, yellow, pink, red, and multiple pastels. Plumeria is also known as frangipani, pua melia (Hawaiian), dead man's fingers (Australia) and in Asia as the temple tree since its flowers are often gathered and used to decorate temples.
In Hawaii one of the best places to view plumeria is at the Koko Crater Botanical Garden - a 60-acre basin inside Koko Crater on the eastern end of the island of Oahu.
These plumeria photos are made available by Dr. Kent (Kim) Bridges, Retired Associate Professor of Botany, at the University of Hawaii. These photographs are not copyrighted.
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