India GO
Flower · Plumeria rubra / Plumeria alba
Frangipani
चंपा (champa)
IUCN LC · Least concern
A small bare-branched tree carrying thick five-petalled flowers, white with a yellow throat or deep pink, scented most strongly at night.
👀 How to recognise it
Thick, blunt grey branches that look almost leafless, with flowers clustered at the tips. Breaking a twig releases white latex.
Where to see it
Goa
Brought from tropical America by the Portuguese, frangipani is planted around Goan churches and chapels and in temple courtyards alike, one of the few plants that reads as belonging to both.
Garcia de Orta Garden (Panjim Municipal Garden) · Campal Gardens & the Riverfront · Sahakari Spice Farm (often)
Mumbai
Frangipani is not native to India: the Portuguese brought it from tropical America.
Hanging Gardens & Kamala Nehru Park · Rani Baug · Elephanta Caves (often)