Winter Plumeria in Hawaii

Plumeria flowers are everywhere in Hawaii – falling to the ground like snow.  But in winter, plumeria trees drop their leaves while flowers cling to bare branches.  This is the lean time for plumeria.  Tree branches look like bare sticks:  leaves have fallen and only a few brave blooms remain.  They bloom in many colors — white, yellow, pink, almost red: the variety is inspiring.

I’m not sure why plumeria loose their leaves during the winter — it is really not much cooler now than in summer on the islands.  Rick, the biologist, speculates that plumeria trees had a seasonal cycle before they were imported to Hawaii.  I do see that while plumeria leaves are dropping, other trees are producing more leaves, blooms and fruit.  So it is not like the mainland where everything dies or goes into hiding during cold weather.

This seasonal cycle of the plumeria is interesting for two reasons.  First, it’s a small, micro reminder that it is winter, even here.  Dropping leaves and bare branches seem like a normal response to "cold" weather — even if it is not below 60 overnight.  The second reason is more complex.  I had never seen flowers growing in trees until I was in Hawaii.  Flowers in pots, perhaps, or gardens, but not sprouting in trees.  So, the vision of flowers over my head is fun.  But plumeria do the opposite of what I thought a flowering tree would do.  I would guess that flowers would drop but leaves would remain, or at least they would stay or leave together.  The sight of flowers sprouting from bare, leafless branches is unusual — and so Hawaii:  beauty and grace to the end.

On this, my second winter on the islands, I still enjoy the irony of blooms on bare branches.  I also appreciate how brief the display.  Plumeria will return with their full glory in just a couple of months.

Posted by Cindy Scheopner  Follow me on Twitter @Scheopner

Published by Bruce Fisher

Since 2006 Bruce Fisher has been publishing the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast which create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. This Blog is the only online resource providing Hawaii-based information aimed at travelers seven days per week. postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible.

Entry Filed under: Customs, Practices and Pastimes,Fun Stuff,Hawaiiana

January 19th, 2010