| from the September 19, 2010 Newsletter issued from
Hacienda Chichen Resort beside Chichén Itzá Ruins, central Yucatán, MÉXICO WILD FRANGIPANI The Frangipani page is one of the most visited pages of the Mexican Flora section of my backyard-nature website. That's because Frangipani flowers are gorgeous and when I was among the Tzotzil speakers of the community 28 de Junio, Chiapas in 2008 I helped the villagers prepare for an important celebration by stringing together Frangipani flowers into garlands, and got some fine pictures. You can see that page at http://www.backyardnature.net/mexnat/frangipa.htm. Frangipanis are members of the genus Plumeria, and several species are involved. The most-planted Plumeria species, with flowers ranging in color from white to red, and planted in the tropics worldwide, is Plumeria rubra, native to the West Indies. However, on my bike ride last week south of Pisté I passed by several fruiting Frangipanis apparently well established in the forest. I'm thinking they must be PLUMERIA OBTUSA, native to the Greater Antilles, northern Central America and southern Mexico, including here. It grows to about 25 feet tall (8 m). You can see its green, upside-down-V-shaped fruits at the top of the page. |