The plumeria, or frangipani, is a deciduous tree that loses all its leaves in the winter and it resembles nothing but a bunch of branches, as the “trunk” is roughly the same size. And it does take on strange shapes because the branches break off fairly easily if bumped hard enough. So my plumeria is growing mostly sideways now! I guess it’s too close to the grill and so gets in the way. But it does make an interesting shape against my neighbor’s house, which on this side features a shuttered up bedroom window. I like its oddity!
This one started as a stalk which we planted in a large tub and is doing well. My brother bought it for me at a Farichild Tropical Garden Plumeria Festival when we were first working on the backyard. It’s a deep red and gives off a lovely smell. I wish I had bought a lighter shade of flower, however, as this one is so dark that it tends to blend in with the dark leaves. Oh well. It’s part of the family now.
The flowers are used in Hawaiian leis, I’ve heard. I’ll take pictures when it loses all its leaves later in the year. It really looks strange then!
sofloflora 