Botany
· Small tree, 3 to 7 m high, stem smooth and shining, succulent, with abundant white latex; easily breaks.
· Leaves: crowded at the terminal end of the branch, commonly oblong in shape, reaching a length of 40 cm and a width of 7 cm.
· Flowers: fragrant, the upper portion whitish, while the inner lower portion yellow, 5 - 6 cm long.
· Fruits: linear-oblong or ellipsoid follicles.

Distribution
Usually cultivated for ornamental purposes.
There are several species of cultivated Plumiera, very similar to P. rubra but for the color of the corolla.

Parts utilized
· Bark, leaves and flowers.
· Collect from May to October.
· Sun-dry.

Constituents
Flowers suppose to be source of perfume known as "Frangipiani."
Bark contains a bitter glucoside, plumierid (2%).
Latex contains resins, caoutchouc and calcium salts of plumieric acid: cerotinic acid and lupeol.
Leaves contain a volatile oil.

Characteristics and Pharmacological Effects
Sweet tasting and neither warming nor cooling in effect, aromatic.
Considered antiinflammatory, antipyretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, febrifuge, purgative, rubefacient.

Uses
Folkloric
· Decoction of bark is used as purgative, emmenagogue, and febrifuge.
· Preventive for heat stroke: the material may be taken as a cooling tea.
· For dysentery, diarrhea during summer season: use 12 to 24 gms of dried material in decoction.
· Arthritis, rheumatism, pruritic skin lesions: Mix the latex (sap) with coconut oil, warm, and apply to affected area.
· Decoction of the bark is used as a counterirritant on the gums for toothache.
· The latex mixed with coconut oil is used for itching.
· The juice is rubefacient in rheumatic pains, and with camphor, is also used for itching.
· A poultice of heated leaves is beneficial for swellings.
· Decoction of leaves for cracks and eruptions of the soles of the feet.
· Infusion or extract from leaves is used for asthma.
· In Mexico, decoction of flowers used in diabetes. source

Studies
• Cytotoxic / Antitumor: In Indonesia, six cytotoxic constituents were isolated from the bark of P rubra. The substances demonstrated cytotoxic activity with panel of murine lymphocytic leukemia cell lines and a number of human cancer cell-types (breast, colon, fibrosarcoma, lung, melanoma, KB)..
• Cytotoxic / Antibacterial / Molluscicidal: From the heartwood, study yielded plumericin and isoplumericin which moluluscicidal, cytotoxic and antibacterial activity.
• Antibacterial: P rubra was one 41 plants extracts from 18 species that showed antibacterial activity.
• Essential Oils : Comparative study of the essential oils of genus Plumeria Linn. from Malaysia showed the oil of P. acuminata (white flower) was predominantly of benzyl salicylate, benzyl benzoate, trans-nerolidol, neryl phenylacetate and linanlool.
• Pytochemical / Antimicrobial: Study yielded the presence of tannins, phlobatannins, saponins, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides and reducing sugar from the crude extract. The antibacterial assay showed the methanol extract to inhibit growth of 14 indicator bacteria. The extract of the flower was more active against B cereus.
• Antioxidant / Hypolipidemic: Study of a flavone glycoside isolated from P rubra produced a significant reduction of serum triglycerides in alloxan-induced hyperglycemic rats. Antioxidant activity ws confirmed through in vitro studies.

Superstition
In some regions, it is not planted in the immediate vicinity of habitation, believed to cause difficulties with personal relationships and separations.

Availability
Wild-crafted.
Cultivated for ornamental use.