THE FRANGIPANI AND ITS FLOWER SYMBOL OF THAILAND...AND ESPECIALLY LAOS

Perhaps you do not know the name but if you have already come to Thailand, no doubt you know the flower

The flower is one of the national symbols of Laos and is called "Dok Champa" while in Thailand the name is "Leelawadee" this shrub that can be the size of a tree is actually native to Central America and has been acclimated in Asia and especially in Thailand.

This shrub does not withstand a temperature of less than 5 °c and is deciduous or semi-deciduous.

The 5-lobed flower is very fragrant and a Marquis in the sixteenth century named Frangipani made a scent of it, thus giving its name to the shrub.

You can easily cut the frangipani and here in Thailand, just chop a branch and transplant it directly into the soil to have a new shrub. On the other hand you will have to be patient before you see the first flowers after 4 to 5 years.

The Frangipani requires a watering but limited enough which explains that its leaves can yellow and fall during the monsoon by excess of water.

There are 7 to 8 different species with flowers of different colors, ranging from white to violet to pink hues, the most fragrant was the white-flowered Frangipani and yellow Center.

If you cut a branch it drains a white sap which is toxic while the flower it is used in pastry.

The flower is widely used in temples in Bali, offering to the gods. In Thailand it is customary to put flowers in the water-filled basins at the entrance of the houses.

Some Western women put a flower in their ear without knowing the meaning but attention... on the right ear this means that the woman is looking for a relationship while on the left ear it means that she is taken. Don't get it wrong but rest assured this sign is especially in Polynesian culture and not Thai.

Always is it that the flower and the shrub are very beautiful and the fragrance will not leave you indifferent.

However, if you want to cultivate the frangipani in Europe know that it is not necessarily simple, that it will have to be done in a pot by returning it in winter and that the plant requires care because outside its hot regions it is prone to attacks of insects and to sudden changes in temperature.

It is better to come to Thailand often and enjoy it on the spot....