This plumeria flower started opening several days ago and today it was all the way open. I took this picture (click to enlarge) on the patio today.
According to WikiPedia, plumeria is related to the oleander and both possess poisonous, milky sap. Plumeria flowers are most fragrant at night in order to lure sphinx moths to pollinate them. The flowers have no nectar, and simply dupe their pollinators. The moths inadvertently pollinate them by transferring pollen from flower to flower in their fruitless search for nectar.
Plumeria species are easily propagated by taking a cutting of leafless stem tips in Spring and allowing them to dry at the base before inserting them into soil. They are also propagated via tissue culture both from cuttings of freshly elongated stems and aseptically germinated seed.
we acquired a pink plumeria recently. I can’t wait for it to start producing flowers.
