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 elevate their new perfume. And it owes its botanical name, Plumeria alba, to the French King Louis XIV’s botanist, Charles Plumier, who discovered it. Aromatherapist and phytotherapist Aneta Jirchářová will tell you about this wonderful plant and its flower water or hydrosol.
Frangipani or Plumeria
Frangipani is pronounced frangipani. And that’s exactly what comes out of your mouth first. Ms! As soon as you meet white plumeria, or frangipani. It’s such a strange bush. The trunk and twigs are somewhat fleshy with large and stiff leaves. If you touch the twigs, white latex will flow from the wound, which is used to treat it. The most beautiful on the plant are its flowers with an intoxicating scent. They bloom in bunches and smell from evening to morning. And this is her moment. Plumeria, because it smells best at night. Perhaps because it does not contain the delicious nectar with which it would attract bees, bumblebees or butterflies during the day, its scent attracts nocturnal insects to pollinate it at night. Just like jasmine. And maybe the scent of frangipani will remind you of jasmine. Jasmine citrus scent.
The aroma of Frangipani
Her scent takes me to the tropics, where the night air is warm and humid. I’m sitting on a high stool at a bar with a palm-leaf roof, moths bumping into the lamps. A starry sky above me and Latin American music playing in the background. I’m sipping my cocktail when suddenly the scent of frangipani envelops me. I feel like dancing. I’m just rocking and enjoying a quiet evening. And you don’t have to go all the way to Australia for its scent, for example, where plumeria grows for its scent in every garden. All you have to do is leave the window open at night and the whole space is scented. If I ignore all the vermin that come from the Australian bush.
Hydrosol Frangipani
Frangipani hydrosol 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, also known as the day of silence, in March. It is the quietest day in Bali. Ghosts fly over the island and with their silence, the inhabitants of Bali do not draw attention to themselves, thereby deceiving beings from other worlds, pretending that the island is uninhabited, therefore it is of no interest to them. And as offerings, among other things, they also use frangipani flowers. Well, just imagine it. That silence shrouded in the scent of frandgipani. And the evil demons Ogoh-Ogoh… How magical!
Aneta Jirchářová, Aromatherapy Kvítek, wrote for SoZoLe Rose, you can find her website here
Read her previous article about Blue Cornflower here .
Buy Frangipani hydrosol here .
Author: Aneta Jirchářová
Art school graduate, expert aromatherapist and phytotherapist with a focus on aromatherapy massages, who likes to perceive aromatherapy from the point of view of colors.
“I most often look for 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.”
