Tipanie flowers bring colour and perfume to garlands. In Tahiti, the same tree is often planted in cemeteries and associated with immortality.
- Local names
- Tipanie (French Polynesia)
- Habitat
- Motu and shore
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Biogeographical status
- Cultivated only on Onetahi
- Life form
- Tree
- Abundance
- Recorded only on Onetahi
- Ecosystem
- Mixed forest
About this species
Plumeria rubra comes from tropical America, including Mexico, Central America, and Venezuela. It is a small perennial tree with oval leaves around 20–30 centimetres long and five-petalled flowers. The guide records white, yellow-white, pink, and red forms on Tetiaroa, among the many cultivated varieties.
The source dates an introduction to Tahiti by Abadie to 1852. It links the name frangipani to an Italian family associated with perfumed gloves: the scent of the flowers was compared with that perfume. Flowers are used in fragrances and garlands worn around the head or neck.
In the cultural account preserved by the guide, branches that survive for a long time made the tree a symbol of immortality. It is often planted in Tahitian cemeteries. The guide also records a traditional application of sap to warts; this is a record of use, not a treatment recommendation.