Brilliant bloom

Once again my neighbourhood Frangipani tree is in full bloom with strikingly brilliant yellow flowers.

These flowers are also known as Plumeria after 17th Century French botanist Charles Plumier. The common name Frangipani comes from an Italian noble family, a 16th Century marquess who invented a plumeria-scented perfume.

Frangipanis are now common naturalised plants in southern and southeastern Asia. In local folk beliefs they provide shelter to ghosts and demons. The scent of the flowers has been associated with a vampire, the pontianak, in Malay folklore.

In modern Polynesian culture, it can be worn by women to indicate their relationship status - over the right ear if seeking a relationship, and over the left if taken.

This humble flower is the national flower of Nicaragua and Laos, where it is known under the local name Sacuanjoche (Nicaragua) and Champa (Laos).