Do you know what the exotic Frangipani is and that it is named after a fictional hero from the 19th century?! It was invented in 1855 by the owners of a luxury London perfumery to enhance their new perfume. And its botanical name, Plumeria alba, is due to the botanist of the French King Louis XIV, Charles Plumier, who discovered it. Aromatherapist and phytotherapist Aneta Jirchářová will tell you about this beautiful plant and its flower water, or hydrolate.
Frangipani or Plumeria
Frangipani is pronounced frenjipáni. And that's exactly what comes to mind first. Wow! As soon as you encounter the white plumeria, or frangipani. It's such a strange shrub. Its stem and branches are rather fleshy with large and stiff leaves. If you break the branches, a white latex will flow from the wound, which is used to heal. The most beautiful flowers on the plant are its intoxicating scent. They bloom in clusters and smell from evening to morning. And that's its moment. Plumeria, in fact, smells the most at night. Perhaps because it doesn't contain delicious nectar with which it would attract bees, bumblebees or butterflies during the day, at night its scent attracts nocturnal insects to pollinate it. Just like jasmine. And perhaps the scent of frangipani will remind you of jasmine. The citrus scent of jasmine.
What does Frangipani smell like?
Its scent takes me to the tropics, where the night air is warm and humid. I sit on a high stool at a bar with a palm leaf roof and moths are hitting the lamps. Above me is a starry sky and Latin American music is playing in the background. I'm sipping my cocktail when suddenly the scent of frangipani envelops me. I feel like dancing. I just sway and enjoy the peaceful evening. And you don't have to go all the way to Australia for its scent, for example, where plumeria grows in every garden for its scent. Just leave the window open at night and the whole space is scented. Not to mention all the vermin that come crawling from the Australian bush.
Frangipani flower water or hydrolate
Frangipani hydrolate It awakens deep spirituality. It is called the “Hawaiian rose” and its flowers are used in various religious ceremonies and decorate all the statues. Bali celebrates the Balinese New Year in March, also known as the day of silence. It is the quietest day in Bali. Ghosts fly over the island and the Balinese people do not draw attention to themselves by their silence, thus deceiving beings from other worlds, pretending that the island is uninhabited, therefore of no interest to them. And as offerings, among other things, they use frangipani flowers. Just imagine. That silence shrouded in the scent of frangipani. And the evil demons Ogoh-Ogoh… How magical!
Pro SoZoLe Rose was written by Aneta Jirchářová, Aromatherapy Kvítek, you can find her website here
Read her previous article about Cornflower Blue here.
Buy Frangipani flower water or hydrolate here.
Author: Aneta Jirchářová
A graduate of art school, a professional aromatherapist and phytotherapist specializing in aromatherapy massages, who likes to perceive aromatherapy from the perspective of colors.
"I most often seek inspiration in nature, which I admire and respect for its wisdom. In my drawings, I try to capture the soul and power of the plant."
