The other names for plumeria are frangipani, temple tree, pagoda tree, graveyard flower and nosegay in English, plus many local names such as melia in Hawaii, champa in Laos and India, and sacuanjoche in Nicaragua. The scientific name is Plumeria, a genus in the Apocynaceae family.
These names all point to the same group of plants. A seller, a poem and a botanical label can describe the same tree.
This guide sorts the names by what kind of name they are. We start with the scientific name, then the English common names, then a table of regional names, then the names that belong to single species. If you only want to know whether plumeria and frangipani differ, our page on plumeria vs frangipani answers that directly.
The scientific name: genus Plumeria, family Apocynaceae
Plumeria is the genus. Botanists place it in the Apocynaceae, the dogbane family, which also holds oleander, allamanda and periwinkle. The family is known for milky sap, and plumeria has it too.
Plants of the World Online currently accepts about 18 species. A long list of older names is now treated as synonyms.
Growers and nurseries often use the genus name as a common name as well. That is why a tag that says plumeria and a tag that says frangipani can sit on the same cutting.
Who the genus is named after
The genus honors Charles Plumier, a French monk and botanist who lived from 1646 to 1704 and traveled in the tropical Americas. Joseph Pitton de Tournefort used the name Plumeria in 1700, and Linnaeus published it formally in 1753. A species name follows the genus, as in Plumeria rubra, which means red plumeria.
Frangipani and where the name came from
Frangipani is the most widespread English alternative to plumeria. Australians, Britons and much of Asia use it for the plant, while many Americans say plumeria. The two words are not different plants.
The story of the word is partly legend.
One popular version says a marquis of the Italian Frangipani family made a perfume that smelled like the flowers. Singapore’s National Parks Board repeats this version. Another tale, about a sailor with Columbus, is described in current references as an invention of a Victorian perfume writer.
We cover the full story on our plumeria and frangipani page.
Other names for plumeria in English
English has a handful of other names for plumeria beyond frangipani. Some describe where the tree is planted, and some borrow from other plants because of the scent.
- Temple tree: from the habit of planting it around temples, especially in South Asia.
- Pagoda tree: used in parts of Southeast Asia for the same reason.
- Graveyard flower or cemetery tree: from its long use in burial grounds in several cultures. Singapore calls the white species its graveyard flower.
- Red jasmine: a name listed for Plumeria rubra. The plant is not a true jasmine and is not related to the genus Jasminum.
- Nosegay: a name recorded in the United States for Plumeria rubra, used far less often than plumeria.
The graveyard link is a naming habit, not a warning. Our guide to plumeria symbolism in Hinduism and Buddhism explains why the same flower can feel sacred at a temple and solemn in a cemetery.
Other names for plumeria around the world
This table of other names for plumeria lists names that appear in reference works on Plumeria rubra and the genus. Spellings vary between sources, because many of these languages are written in other scripts. Treat the spellings as common romanizations, not official ones.
| Name | Language or region | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Melia | Hawaiian | The everyday Hawaiian word for plumeria. |
| Champa | India, Pakistan, Bengali; also Laos | Related forms are used across South Asia. |
| Dok champa | Lao | The national flower of Laos. Dok means flower. |
| Kemboja, bunga kemboja | Malay and Indonesian | Literally flower of Cambodia, though there is no evidence the plant spread from there. |
| Bunga kubur or bunga kuburan | Malay and Indonesian | Grave flower. |
| Cempaka or chempaka | Malay and Indonesian | Borrowed from the fragrant champaca tree. |
| Kalachuchi | Philippines | Also spelled calachuchi. |
| Araliya | Sinhalese, Sri Lanka | Also called temple flower in English there. |
| Leelawadee | Thai | A newer name that replaced lantom, discussed below. |
| Lantom | Thai | The older Thai name, tied to cremation grounds and cemeteries. |
| Sacuanjoche | Nicaragua | The national flower, adopted in 1971. |
| Cacaloxochitl | Nahuatl, Mexico | Often glossed as crow flower. |
| Flor de Mayo | Spanish, Mexico and Guatemala | May flower. Flor de la Cruz is an occasional variant in Guatemala. |
| Nicte, zac nicte, chac nicte | Maya languages | Zac and chac mean white and red in Yucatec Maya. |
| Frangipanier | French | The French form of frangipani. |
| Tipani | Cook Islands | A local form of frangipani. |
We left out names we could not trace to a dictionary, botanical garden or similar reference. If you see a name online that is not here, it may be real but local, or it may be a mistranslation.
Why Thai has two names: lantom and leelawadee
The Thai story is a good example of a plant being renamed on purpose. Lantom, a name linked with cremation grounds and cemeteries, was seen as a sad word and a bad fit for a garden plant. Leelawadee, a graceful and cheerful word, took over in nurseries and gardens as the plant became popular.
The same thing happened elsewhere in less formal ways. In Hawaii the flower is tied to leis and welcome, so melia carries a happy meaning. Our page on plumeria in Hawaiian culture goes into that side of the name.
Names that belong to single species
Some common names are not for the whole genus. A few belong to one species, and mixing them up leads to wrong care advice.
- Plumeria rubra: the common frangipani or red frangipani, also called temple tree and red jasmine. It is the species behind most named garden cultivars.
- Plumeria obtusa: called Singapore plumeria, Singapore graveyard flower or great white frangipani. The word obtusa is Latin for blunt, from the rounded leaf tips.
- Plumeria pudica: widely sold as bridal bouquet, and sometimes called wild plumeria. It has narrow, glossy, evergreen leaves.
- Plumeria alba: usually called white frangipani or white plumeria. It is also widely sold as West Indian jasmine, although it is not a true jasmine.
Which of the other names for plumeria should you use?
In the United States, use plumeria when you search for cuttings, care guides or cultivar names. Most US sellers and societies use it.
Frangipani is the better search word in Australia, the UK and much of Asia. When you buy, check the species or cultivar name too, because the general names say little about hardiness or flower color.
If you are new to the plant, our overview what is plumeria is the best starting point, and where plumeria comes from covers how the names traveled with the plant.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is plumeria the same as frangipani?
Yes. Plumeria is the genus name and frangipani is the usual common name for the same plants. Which one you hear depends mostly on where you live.
What is the Hawaiian name for plumeria?
The Hawaiian name is melia. Plumeria is widely used in leis, though it is not native to the islands.
Why is plumeria called the temple tree?
It is commonly planted at temples in South Asia and Southeast Asia, so the name stuck. The same tree is also planted in cemeteries, which is where graveyard flower comes from.
Is plumeria a jasmine?
No. Names like red jasmine come from the scent, but plumeria is in the Apocynaceae family and is not related to true jasmine in the genus Jasminum.
What is the national flower of Nicaragua and Laos?
Nicaragua’s national flower is sacuanjoche, a plumeria. In Laos the national flower is dok champa, which is the frangipani.
Who was Plumeria named after?
The genus honors Charles Plumier, a French monk and botanist. The name was first used by Tournefort and made formal by Linnaeus.