To my mind the heaven-scent frangipani is the unrivalled champion of the typically tropical flower. Its clean, simple structure and subdued colour palette outcompete even the most showy of tropical blooms while its fresh and delicate fragrance is reminscent of a soapy lemon perfume. Clearly a firm favourite with Darwin’s local council also, almost every suburban street is festooned with blossoming frangipani trees running alongside the footpath.
As it’s so commonly used across south-east Asia and the Pacific I had always assumed this plant was a tropical Asian native so was surprised to recently discover that it actually comes from Central and South America. While the yellow-centred white variety is most common, there are several varieties that come in a range of sunset colours.
Leave a Reply