Plumeria Tree
Plumeria alba
Summary
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Angiosperm
Class: Dicotyledonae
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Plumeria
Species: P.alba
Scientific Name: Plumeria alba L.
Common Names:
English: White Champa.
Hindi name: Champa.
Kannada: Sampige.
Marathi: Chafa.
Description:
- Habit & Habitat: soft-wooded erect tree with 5-8 m high, Small tree.
- Distribution: Native to Central America and Caribbean, but now it is commonly found in Asia aslo.
- Morphology:
Leaf: Obovate-oblong or lanceolate, acute at the apex, glabrous, stiff, main nerves clear, parallel, joining in an intramarginal one.
Inflorescence: Terminal many flowered cymes.
Flower: White, pale yellow or rose or reddish, with a yellow centre. Calyx lobes 2-3 mm long retuse at the apex, pubescent outside and ciliate at the margins. Corolla tube 2 cm long, lobes 3-2 cm obovate, pubescent inside, glabrous outside.
Fruit: Follicles rarely produced, in pairs.
Seeds: large, flat, glabrous.
Flowering and Fruiting Time: November – July. - Propagation: by seeds and cuttings.
- *Importance:
The bark is a violent purgative. The tree is commonly cultivated for its flowers. Is used in the treatment of blennorrhagia, herpes and syphilis. - Location: Botanical Garden, Library – Gymkhana.