flora

Frangipani

Plumeria rubra

Where to See It Gardens, grounds and churchyards, most fragrant after dark

The scent of a tropical evening. Frangipani's waxy blooms of white, pink and gold release their perfume most strongly at night, to draw in the moths that pollinate them. The tree itself is sculptural, with blunt silvery branches that look almost bare in the dry season before the flowers return. Pick a fallen bloom and tuck it behind an ear, as islanders have done for generations.

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