Frangipani
(Plumeria sp.)
Frangipani
(Plumeria sp.)
Frangipani (Kamboja) originated in Central America and Africa and is often planted as an ornamental plant in yards and parks, even growing wild in cemetery areas. Frangipani was brought to Indonesia by the Portuguese and Dutch. The Frangipani flower is frequently used in traditional ceremonies by Hindus. It is also utilized in traditional medicine in various regions such as Cambodia, South Africa, and Asia. It produces essential oil that is widely used as a fragrance.
This tropical plant thrives in the lowlands up to an altitude of 700 meters above sea level (m a.s.l.). It requires full sunlight (heat) and little water. It needs well-drained and slightly acidic soil.
The root is a taproot with branching and is brownish in color.
The stem (trunk) is rounded, hard-wooded, crooked, and highly branched. The bark of young stems is green, turning gray when mature.
The leaves are single (simple), lanceolate (lance-shaped) with pointed tips and bases (acuminate/acute), thick, green in color, and have pinnate venation.
The flowers are compound (inflorescence), trumpet-shaped, measuring 8–12 cm. The corolla (petals) has 5 lobes, and the color varies; in Indonesia, it is commonly white with a yellow center.
The fruit is non-fleshy (follicle), tube-shaped with both ends pointed (tapering), 15–20 cm long, and 1.5–2 cm in diameter.
The seeds are green when young and blackish-brown when mature; they are numerous and winged.
Propagation is done via seed, stem cuttings, or budding (okulasi).
Seed Sowing: Seeds are sown in a medium of burnt rice husk and sprout to a height of 3–4 cm in about 1 month.
Stem Cuttings: This involves cutting a sufficiently mature shoot. The branch shoot will emerge within 1 month.
Budding (Okulasi): This is performed on stems of the same size. New shoots emerge within 1 month.
It is used to treat gonorrhea (kencing nanah), purulent boils, reduce toothache, treat swollen gums, ripen boils (bring them to a head), reduce fever, treat coughs and scabies, rheumatism, and diabetes.
The plant contains compounds such as agoniadin, plumeric acid, lupeol, serotinic acid, saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, polyphenols, benzyl salicylate, benzyl benzoate, palmitic acid, lauric acid, and myristic acid.
Socfindo Conservation. 2023. Kamboja. https://www.socfindoconservation.co.id/plant/198 (06-04-2023)