Thai Botanic

Plumeria alba

White frangipani, temple tree · Apocynaceae · Deciduous small tree

The white-flowered frangipani, scented in the evening and flowering through the warm months on bare or lightly leafed branches. Slower and more upright than Plumeria rubra, with narrower leaves and a cleaner white flower, and the species most often specified where the planting is meant to read as calm rather than colourful.

Specification

Mature height5–8 m
Crown spread3–5 m (indicative)
Calliper range supplied30–100 mm standard, measured 1 m above the root collar. Larger by arrangement.
Growth rateSlow to moderate
HabitDeciduous, open and sculptural
FloweringWhite with a yellow throat, strongly scented in the evening, through the warm months

Landscape use

Hotel forecourts, courtyards, pool surrounds and entrance planting, where the branch structure is as much the point as the flower. It carries heat and reflected glare well and asks for very little water once established, which makes it a reliable choice in Gulf schemes.

Place it where the evening scent is met — beside a terrace, a path or a doorway. Its sap is milky and the leaf drop is seasonal, so it sits better in planted beds than over open water.

Site tolerance

DroughtHigh
SalinityModerate — established plants take coastal exposure
WindModerate — branches are brittle when very exposed
SoilFree-draining sandy or stony soils. Will not take waterlogging.
HeatVery high
USDA zone10–12

Export notes

Supplied root-balled and wrapped. Frangipani travels well because it tolerates a period without leaves, and it is among the easiest species in the catalogue to ship long distances. See export and compliance.


For available sizes and current stock in this species, message us on WhatsApp at +66 93 425 9892 or email contact@thaibotanic.com — or browse the species catalogue. This is one of the species we grow and supply regularly. Where a design calls for something outside our usual range, we source it through the nursery network we have worked with for years, given reasonable notice.

Supply grades

GradeOverall heightClear trunkSpreadCaliper (min)Grown inRoot ball
Small1500 mm1000 mm1000 mm30 mm40 L100% coco peat
Medium2500 mm1500 mm1500 mm50 mm100 L100% coco peat
Large4000 mm1500 mm2000 mm80 mm300 L100% coco peat
Extra large5000 mm1500 mm3000 mm100 mm600 L30% cleaned soil / 70% coco peat
Caliper is the trunk diameter measured 1.0 m above the root collar, and is the minimum each grade meets. Root balls are sized in proportion to the tree; larger balls can be prepared where a specification calls for them.