Plumeria obtusa

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Plumeria obtusa
Leaves I IMG 8331.jpg
Leaves in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Plumeria
Species:
P. obtusa
Binomial name
Plumeria obtusa
L.
Synonyms [2]
List
    • Plumeria apiculataUrb.
    • Plumeria bahamensisUrb.
    • Plumeria barahonensisUrb.
    • Plumeria beatensisUrb.
    • Plumeria bicolorSeem.
    • Plumeria casildensisUrb.
    • Plumeria cayensisUrb.
    • Plumeria clusioidesGriseb.
    • Plumeria confusaBritton
    • Plumeria cubensisUrb.
    • Plumeria cuneifoliaHelwig
    • Plumeria dictyophyllaUrb.
    • Plumeria domingensisUrb.
    • Plumeria ekmaniiUrb.
    • Plumeria emarginataGriseb.
    • Plumeria estrellensisUrb.
    • Plumeria gibbosaUrb.
    • Plumeria hypoleucaGasp.
    • Plumeria inaguensisBritton
    • Plumeria jamaicensisBritton nom. illeg.
    • Plumeria krugiiUrb.
    • Plumeria lanataBritton
    • Plumeria leuconeuraUrb.
    • Plumeria marchiiUrb.
    • Plumeria montanaBritton & P.Wilson
    • Plumeria multifloraStandl.
    • Plumeria nipensisBritton
    • Plumeria niveaMill.
    • Plumeria ostenfeldiiUrb.
    • Plumeria parvifoliaDonn
    • Plumeria pilosulaUrb.
    • Plumeria portoricensisUrb.
    • Plumeria sericifoliaC.Wright ex Griseb.
    • Plumeria tenoreiGazparr.
    • Plumeria trinitensisBritton
    • Plumeria tuberculataLodd.
    • Plumeria venosaBritton
    • Plumeria versicolorDehnh.

Plumeria obtusa, the Singapore graveyard flower, [3] is a species of the genus Plumeria (Apocynaceae). It is native to the Neotropics, but widely cultivated for its ornamental and fragrant flowers around the world, where suitably warm climate exists.

Contents

Closeup of Singapore graveyard flower in Jamshedpur Plumeria obtusa or the Singapore graveyard flower (Image 1 of 2) in Jamshedpur, India.jpg
Closeup of Singapore graveyard flower in Jamshedpur

Taxonomy

Plumeria obtusa was described as a new species in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus. [4] Its specific epithet "obtusa" means "blunt", in reference to its blunt-tipped leaves. [5]

Description

Plumeria obtusa is a small tree, growing 3.0–4.6 m (10–15 ft) tall. Infrequently, individuals can grow to be 7.6 m (25 ft). Its flowers are white with yellow throats and each has five petals. The fragrant flowers bloom in clusters. Leaves are dark green, glossy, and up to 20 cm (8 in) long. They are obovate, or teardrop-shaped. [5]

Distribution

Plumeria obtusa is native to the West Indies (including the Bahamas and the Greater Antilles), southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Florida in the United States. [6] [7] Cultivation is common in warmer parts of the world, including Southeast Asia and coastal parts of the Arabian Peninsula. It is reportedly naturalized in China and India. [8] [9]

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. [8] 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 oedema.

References

  1. ↑ IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group.; Botanic Gardens Conservation International; et al. (BGCI) (2020). "Plumeria obtusa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T156770956A156770958. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T156770956A156770958.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species" . Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  3. ↑ NRCS. "Plumeria obtusa". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  4. ↑ "Plumeria obtusa Linnaeus, 1753". WoRMS. 6 October 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Plumeria obtusa". Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  6. ↑ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  7. ↑ "Plumeria obtusa". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  8. 1 2 3 Dy Phon Pauline, 2000, Plants Used In Cambodia, printed by Imprimierie Olympic, Phnom Penh
  9. ↑ "Plumeria obtusa in Flora of China @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org.
  10. ↑ Sujanapal, P.; Sancaran, K.V. (2016). Common Plants of Maldives (PDF). Bangkok: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Kerala Forest Research Institute. p. 212. ISBN   978-92-5-109295-8.
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