Skip to main content

Frangipani (Plumeria rubra)

Kemboja or semboja or Bali flower or temple tree or frangipani (Plumeria rubra) are deciduous plant species that grow as a spread tree, 7-8 m high and widen with flowers throughout the year in a tropical climate and very fragrant. Frangipani is very popular for gardens, parks, temples, cemeteries, medication and fashion.

P. rubra has succulent and blunt stem branches like thick sausages that are covered with thin gray bark. The branches are brittle and when broken out emit white latex which irritates the skin and mucous membranes. Latex on the stem is toxic, but not deadly except for large quantities.

Dlium Frangipani (Plumeria rubra)

Green leaves are large for 30-50 cm long, alternately arranged and clustered at the end of the branch. The terminal flower appears at the end of the branch, 5-7.7 cm in diameter, has five petals and is very fragrant in the morning and evening.

The flower of this species has two colors depending on the cultivar is pink and white with shades of yellow in the middle. The seeds are contained in cylindrical pods, 17.5 cm long and dark green.

Kemboja in Bali are tucked into ears in ritual offerings to gods or as decorations for coffins on Java. The leaves of this species are used in wound care and soothing infusions. Flowers and bark are used to treat fever, bacillary dysentery, pertussis and so on.

Bali flower has fulvoplumierin or an antibiotic that inhibits the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Plants are also shown to be antifungal, antiviral, analgesic, antispasmodic, and hypoglycemic. P. rubra also contains agoniadin, plumierid, plumeric acid, cerotinic acid, and lupeol. The stem has an alkaloid called triterpinoid.









Temple trees are also known to improve digestion, excretion, respiratory and immune function. Sap is used as a laxative, a remedy for bloating and abdominal pain. Flowers are boiled in water as salads to increase bowel movements, urine flow, control gas and phlegm. Also to treat asthma.

In Cambodia, use this flower for neck decoration in temples. Pacific islands also use decorations on the neck for welcoming guests at parties and dances. Flowers are also used to make perfume and scent coconut oil.

Plumeria has at least more than 20 species, but many say only two genuine species are Plumeria rubra and Plumeria obtusa, while the other species are hybrids of both or with other genera. Some other scientists say three and four species are genuine.

Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Plumeria
Species: P. rubra

Popular Posts

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) manufacture bubble-nets as tools to increase prey intake

NEWS - Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) create bubble net tools while foraging, consisting of internal tangential rings, and actively control the number of rings, their size, depth and horizontal spacing between the surrounding bubbles. These structural elements of the net increase prey intake sevenfold. Researchers have known that humpback whales create “bubble nets” for hunting, but the new report shows that the animals also manipulate them in a variety of ways to maximize catches. The behavior places humpbacks among the rare animals that make and use their own tools. “Many animals use tools to help them find food, but very few actually make or modify these tools themselves,” said Lars Bejder, director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP), University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Humpback whales in southeast Alaska create elaborate bubble nets to catch krill. They skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form a web with internal rings. They actively control details such ...

Takenoshin Nakai swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum nakaianum) replaces V. magnificum and C. magnificum

NEWS - Researchers reported an erect herbaceous species distributed in the eastern part of Honshu Island, Vincetoxicum magnificum (Nakai) Kitag. based on Cynanchum magnificum Nakai, nomen nudum. Therefore, they named this species Takenoshin Nakai swallow-wort ( Vincetoxicum nakaianum K.Mochizuki & Ohi-Toma). Vincetoxicum Wolf (Asclepiadeae) is the third largest genus in the Asclepiadoideae consisting of about 260 species geographically extending from tropical Africa, Asia and Oceania to temperate regions of Eurasia. A total of 23 species are known from Japan, including 16 endemic species. Molecular phylogeny divides Japanese Vincetoxicum into four groups: the “Far Eastern” clade consisting of 11 endemic species and 4 more widespread species, 1 sister species to the “Far Eastern” clade, the “subtropical” clade consisting of 2 species and the “Vincetoxicum s. str.” clade consisting of 5 species. V. magnificum (Nakai) Kitag. (Japanese: tachi-gashiwa) is closely related to V. macro...

Purhepecha oak (Quercus purhepecha), new species of shrub oak endemic to the state of Michoacán, Mexico

NEWS - In Mexico, several Quercus shrubby species are taxonomically very problematic including 8 taxa with similar characteristics. Now researchers report the purhepecha oak ( Quercus purhepecha De Luna-Bonilla, S. Valencia & Coombes sp. nov.) as a new tomentose shrubby white oak species with a distribution only in the Cuitzeo basin in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB). Quercus Linnaeus (1753) subdivided into 2 subgenera and 8 sections of which section Quercus (white oaks) has the widest distribution in the Americas, Asia and Europe. This section is very diverse in Mexico and Central America with phylogenomic evidence indicating recent and accelerated speciation in these regions. The number of shrubby oak species in Mexico is still uncertain. De Luna-Bonilla of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and colleagues found at least 3 taxa in the TMVB, specifically Quercus frutex Trelease (1924), Quercus microphylla Née (1801) and Quercus repanda Bonpland (1809). In 2016,...