Campus Greenery - Plumeria rubra (雞蛋花)
Plumeria rubra, also called Frangipani or Egg Flower, is native to Central America and Mexico and is now extensively planted in tropical and sub-tropical regions for ornamental purpose. Frangipani is a short tree with a maximum height of 5 metres. Each flower has 5 petals overlapping regularly like pinwheel. Flowers appear from March to September and fruits are produced from May to October.
Frangipani next to Chung Sze Yuen Building
The yellow and white petals may associate with egg white and yolk and so Frangipani is also named ‘Egg Flower’
Dried flowers of Frangipani can be used for traditional Chinese medicine. People widely believe that it can be used for heat-evil cleaning and dampness-evil removal, lung nourishing and cough arresting. Frangipani is the main ingredient of the common Chinese herbal tea ‘Five floral tea’. It is also used to make wreaths in Hawaii.