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Plumeria rubra

Tīpani

Frangipani

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Leaves and flowers - 3 varieties	44KB
Image:	6 different varieties	58KB
Image:	Fruit and seeds	87KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Frangipani, Plumeria, Temple Tree; German Frangipani, Pagodenbaum; French Frangipanier

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Tīpani (RR MG AT MK MT AK PL TS TW MH RK PK NS)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Mexico - Panama

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Not naturalised; Land, lowlands - mountains (+)

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine, Irritant, Ornamental flowers

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++++	++	++++	+++	++?	++++	++?		+L

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
++++	++?	++?	+++	++?	P

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Plumeria rubra Linnaeus
SYNONYMS: Plumeria rubra form rubra; Plumeria rubra form acutifolia [latter incl. Plumeria acuminata]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ASTERIDAE; Gentianales; APOCYNACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -. Comment: NBSAP - Aitutaki (Tīpani ‘Enua, 4 of 4 domestic plants)
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Medicine, Irritant, Ornamental flowers

GENERAL NOTE: The sap an irritant to some people. It is also mildly poisonous. (Arnold 1968)

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Plumeria rubra.

References:
p.688 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.81 Tropica
p.4/086 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.404d Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zM04b

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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