Plumeria Overview
Plumeria is one of the most popular flowers in Hawaii. Its blossoms have a sweet scent, smooth petals and bright colors, making them a favorite for flower lei, home gardens and tropical landscapes.
Plumeria is commercially grown for Hawaii's lei industry because the flowers are easy to string. The blossoms can be gathered and threaded into simple, fragrant lei that feel closely tied to island welcomes, celebrations and everyday flower traditions.
Fragrance, Lei Making and Garden Use
Plumeria flowers come in many colors, including white, yellow, pink and rainbow blends. Their scent and shape make them easy to recognize, especially when the flowers fall beneath a tree or appear in fresh lei.
The flower also has a lesser-known local nickname. Because plumeria trees are often seen in cemeteries, some people call it “make-man flower,” meaning “dead man flower.” Even with that nickname, plumeria remains one of Hawaii's most familiar and widely loved lei flowers.
In gardens, plumeria adds color, fragrance and a relaxed tropical look. Related Hawaii lei flower pages include pikake, gardenia, tuberose and crown flower.
