Frangipani/ABC Wednesday

F is for Frangipani

Nothing evokes that tropical feeling quite like the Frangipani.  Its colors remind me of sunsets.  If you've been to Hawaii, I'm sure you would associate Frangipani blossoms and its sweet fragrance with the tropical paradise.  In the Philippines, we associate its heady perfume with death.  Death because Frangipani, or Kalachuchi as it is known locally, is mostly used in sympathy wreaths.  Frangipani trees are often planted in cemeteries, not because of any cultural significance, but because they are tough plants that can survive neglect, heat and drought, and still fill the air with wonderful scents.

My grandmother had an old Frangipani tree in the garden, and it was a source of my childhood imaginings of  ghosts and otherworldly beings when its perfume filled the night air.  Frangipani flowers are highly aromatic at night--the white flowers are more fragrant than the pink ones.

It is called Flor de Mayo in South America where it is a native, although there are claims that Frangipanis are indigenous to the Caribbean and were taken to the Americas by Spanish priests.  Frangipani is related to Oleander and there more than 300 species.  They are relatively small trees growing to only about 5-6 meters tall, with gnarled branches, long leaves and distinctive flowers.  Frangipanis are deciduous and sensitive to cold weather, spreading and sparsely branched. A cut made on any part of the tree will produce a milky, sticky sap that is poisonous to both humans and animals.  

There is a theory that Catholic missionary priests spread Frangipanis around the world as they traveled.  This may explain why the Frangipani is popular and common in the Philippines and Thailand but very rare in China and Vietnam.  Thailand and the Philippines welcomed the Christian missionaries while in China and Vietnam, they were persecuted until around the 1850s.

Little-known facts about Frangipanis:

• Many Haiwaiian leis are made from Frangipani flowers
• The colorful caterpillar Pseudosphinx tetrio feeds only on the leaves of Frangipani (Plumeria rubra)
• Frangipanis are good hosts for dendrobium orchids
• Frangipani is the national tree of Laos, where it is called dok jampa.  It is regarded as a scared tree and every Buddhist temple in that country has Frangipanis in their courtyards.
• Frangipani is the flower of Palermo in Sicily
• It is also the national flower of Nicaragua and is featured in some of their bank notes
• Frangipanis won't burn except in extreme temperature (over 500 degrees)
• Frangipani trees were once considered taboo in Thai homes because of superstitious associations with the plant's Thai name, lantom, which is similar to ratom, a Thai word for sorrow.  As a result, Frangipanis were thought to bring unhappiness.
• In Caribbean cultures, the leaves are used as poultices for bruises and ulcers; the latex is used as liniment for rheumatism.
• The Frangipani is associated with love in feng shui
• In India, Frangipani is a symbol of immortality because of its ability to produce leaves and flowers even after it has been lifted from the soil.  It is often planted near temples and graveyards, where fresh flowers fall daily upon the tombs.
• In Hindu culture, frangipani flower means loyalty, and Hindu women put flowers on their hair on their wedding day.
• In Vietnam, it is used for its healing qualities
• In modern Polynesian culture, the frangipani can be worn by women to indicate their relationship status.
• A Mexican myth believes that gods were born from Frangipani flowers
• In Malay folklore, the scent of frangipani is associated with a vampire, a pontianak

Frangipani names around the world:  Tipanier (Tahiti), Cocaloxochite (Aztec), Flor de la Cruz (Guatemala), Phool (India), Amapola (Venezuela), Pumeli (Hawaii), Kemboka kuning (Malaysia), Jepun (Indonesia), Pomelia and Frangipane (Italy), Kang Nai Xin (China), Kalachuchi (Philippines), Hoa Su Ma (Vietnam), Sacuanjoche (Nicaragua)

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Euphorbia

E is for Euphorbia

Consisting of 2008 species, Euphorbia is one of the largest and the most diverse genera in the plant kingdom, commonly referred to as spurges.  Eurphorbias are mostly found in tropical and sub-tropical regions of Africa and the Americas, and in temperate zones worldwide.  The botanical name Euphorbia derives from Euphorbus, the Greek physician of King Juba II of  Numidia (50-52 BC - 23 AD), who married the daughter of Anthony and Cleopatra.  He wrote that one of the cactus-like Euphorbia was a powerful laxative.  "Spurge" derives from the Middle English/Old French espurge ("to purge") due to the use of the plant's sap as a purgative.

These are  Eurphorbia milii also known as Crown of Thorns, Christ plant, a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaciae.   Various colors and cultivars grow all over the Philippines but it is endemic to Madagascar.  It's a succulent climbing shrub with dense spiny stems and straight slender spines of about 3 cm long with poisonous milky sap.  Legend associates it with the crown of thorns worn by Christ before his crucifixion.

Euphorbia milii

Another species of Euphorbia, locally known as tawa-tawa and gatas-gatas, (Euphorbia hirta) is believed to contain significant anti-thrombocytopenic properties that may increase platelet count of patients suffering from hemorrhagic fever like dengue.  This herb grows in grasslands and road sides all over the Philippines.  When I was a kid, we treated sore eyes with the milky sap of this plant.

A study about Euphorbia hirta conducted by Pharmacy students of  the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila won the 1st prize in the 2012 Philippine National Health Research System Week.

In the study, Euphorbia hirta was found to promote cell production, and prevents platelet destruction.  Further research on  the efficacy of this plant against dengue is now being fast-tracked by the government.  Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection that is killing hundreds of people, mostly children, every year.  There are no specific anti-viral drugs for dengue.

The popular Poinsettia, or Euphorbia pulcherrima, belongs to the diverse spurge family of Euphorbiaciae.

Euphorbias are tough plants and can take just about anything---both salt and drought-tolerant.  They're easy to grow, according to my aunt who used to cultivate all colors of Euphorbia milii.  I have been attracted to succulents and wanted to grow reds and two-tone Euphorbia milii but since I have a dog, I abandoned the idea. The thorns could be dangerous to pets and small children.

"A love that you withhold is the pain that you carry." 
~ Alex Collier

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