Propagation of Frangipani (Plumeria rubra and Related Species)

Known to the Aztecs and used medicinally, Plumeria rubra was also adopted by the early Spanish missionaries and planted near missions and cemeteries, and taken along on the voyages of exploration across the Pacific to the warm regions of eastern Asia and the Indian Ocean. The frangipani, as it is also known in some areas, has found a home in nearly all tropical regions as an ornamental shared via cuttings between friends and strangers. While the long-lived cuttings are the most common means of propagation, the plumeria can also be propagated by air-layering, grafting and budding, tissue culture, and by seed.  Aspects of these techniques will be discussed.