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Singapore graveyard flower facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids
Singapore graveyard flower
Leaves I IMG 8331.jpg
Leaves in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Genus:
Plumeria
Species:
obtusa
Synonyms
List
  • Plumeria apiculata Urb.
  • Plumeria bahamensis Urb.
  • Plumeria barahonensis Urb.
  • Plumeria beatensis Urb.
  • Plumeria bicolor Seem.
  • Plumeria casildensis Urb.
  • Plumeria cayensis Urb.
  • Plumeria clusioides Griseb.
  • Plumeria confusa Britton
  • Plumeria cubensis Urb.
  • Plumeria cuneifolia Helwig
  • Plumeria dictyophylla Urb.
  • Plumeria domingensis Urb.
  • Plumeria ekmanii Urb.
  • Plumeria emarginata Griseb.
  • Plumeria estrellensis Urb.
  • Plumeria gibbosa Urb.
  • Plumeria hypoleuca Gasp.
  • Plumeria inaguensis Britton
  • Plumeria jamaicensis Britton nom. illeg.
  • Plumeria krugii Urb.
  • Plumeria lanata Britton
  • Plumeria leuconeura Urb.
  • Plumeria marchii Urb.
  • Plumeria montana Britton & P.Wilson
  • Plumeria multiflora Standl.
  • Plumeria nipensis Britton
  • Plumeria nivea Mill.
  • Plumeria ostenfeldii Urb.
  • Plumeria parvifolia Donn
  • Plumeria pilosula Urb.
  • Plumeria portoricensis Urb.
  • Plumeria sericifolia C.Wright ex Griseb.
  • Plumeria tenorei Gazparr.
  • Plumeria trinitensis Britton
  • Plumeria tuberculata Lodd.
  • Plumeria venosa Britton
  • Plumeria versicolor Dehnh.

Plumeria obtusa, the Singapore graveyard flower, is a species of the genus Plumeria (Apocynaceae). It is native to the West Indies (including the Bahamas and the Greater Antilles), southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Florida. but widely cultivated for its ornamental and fragrant flowers around the world, where suitably warm climate exists. It is reportedly naturalized in China.

Taxonomy

Plumeria obtusa was described as a new species in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus. Its specific epithet "obtusa" means "blunt", in reference to its blunt-tipped leaves.

Description

Plumeria obtusa is a small tree, growing 10–15 ft (3.0–4.6 m) tall. Infrequently, individuals can grow to be 25 ft (7.6 m). Its flowers are white with yellow throats and each has five petals. The fragrant flowers bloom in clusters. Leaves are dark green, glossy, and up to 8 in (20 cm) long. They are obovate, or teardrop-shaped.

Distribution

Plumeria obtusa is native to the Greater Antilles, Florida, northern Central America and southern Mexico. Cultivation is common in warmer parts of the world, including Southeast Asia and coastal parts of the Arabian Peninsula.

Common names

  • châmpéi slük tiel Khmer

Uses

This plant is commonly used as an ornamental, grown for its flowers. In Cambodia the flowers are used to make necklaces and in offerings to the deities. In traditional medicine used in that country, a decoction of the bark is given in varying doses as a purgative or as a remedy against oedema.

Images for kids

  • Plumeria obtusa or the Singapore graveyard flower (Image 1 of 2) in Jamshedpur, India

    Closeup of Singapore graveyard flower in Jamshedpur

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Plumeria obtusa para niños

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