Week 1
Discussion
About Plumeria
Plumeria, also known as Frangipani
If you have ever been to Hawai'i, chances are good that you were greeted with a floral lei. Leis can be made from many flowers, but one of the most common is plumeria blossoms.
Plumeria, also known as frangipani, are deciduous shrubs or small trees native in the Americas from Brazil to Florida. Since being discovered, hybrids have been spread around the world. The Hawai'ian varieties were transplanted there in 1860 where it thrives abundantly.
A common characteristic of all plumeria is gorgeous flowers, typically with five petals in a spiral pattern.
A similar pattern is seen in this Hawai'ian variety.
The photos below show the blossoms of some of the most popular varieties of plumeria, starting with Plumeria rubra.
Plumeria obtusa
Plumeria stenophylia
As can be seen, plumeria blossoms come in a variety of colors. Some species are evergreen while others shed and regrow their leaves annually. The glimpses of plumeria leaves in the photos above show that they come in different shapes and sizes. The photo below is of plumeria pudica leaves, found in South Florida.
These leaves are from plumeria rubra, the plant with the red blossoms above and the tree (I think) below.
Plumeria rubra buds
Plumeria rubra (I think) tree.
Another characteristic of many plumeria blossoms is delightful fragrance, with each species having its own unique aroma. Flowers may smell like roses, gardenias, pineapple, plum, citrus, ripe banana, grapes, coconut, ginger, candy, or spices. Plumeria oil has been used in perfumes since the 1600s. It attracts pollinators like the sphinx moth, some species of which can hover in the air while feeding. That has led to them sometimes being mistaken for hummingbirds. The gallium sphinx moth below can fly short distances as fast as 30 miles per hour.
Unfortunately for the moth, plumeria blossoms have no nectar.
Plumeria can grow from seeds, but cuttings work extremely well if prepared properly. Numerous web sites provide instructions.
Artwork
I haven't been able to find when plumerias were brought to Japan, and there is no Japanese plumeria artwork I've been able to find earlier than the 20th century. Paintings of flowers in Japanese art are very common, however. Much of Japanese art has seasonal themes, and a good way to show that (or more often subtly hint at that) is to include seasonally blossoming plants in pictures. Genre artwork of seasonal plants and animals in pictures is so popular that it has a name of its own, kachō-ga
Katsushika Hokusai (1760 – 1849)
Hokusai is most famous for his ukiyo-e (Japanese woodblock prints) series, 36-views of Mt. Fuji (there were 44 in all), in particular his world-renowned Great Wave off Kanagawa, number 1 in the series, produced in 1831. He produced thousands of paintings in many different styles during his lifetime, many of which were also ukiyo-e. This 1828 print of a cuckoo bird and azaleas with a poem is an example. Note that as with plumeria, the azalea blossoms have five petals each.
Imao Keinen (1845 – 1924)
Keinen was a prominent member of the shin-hanga (new prints) movement, dedicated to the restoration of traditional Japanese painting techniques, themes, and values to Japanese art after so many artists flocked to Western styles after Japan opened to the world at the end of the Edo period (1603 – 1868). He was educated in many art styles from the age of 12, received a professorship at the Kyoto School of Painting in 1880, became a member of the Art Committee of the imperial court in 1892, and became a member of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in 1919. A landmark publication of his in 1892, Keinen Kachō Gafu, is an album with an extensive series of kacho-ga prints, two of which with summer themes are shown
This diptych features lotus blossoms and herons.
This print features red birds and what appear to be hollyhocks.
