KAATHA CHAMPA: (Temple Tree)
Latin Name: Plumeria (31 identified types, of which the most common are acutifolia, alba and rubra)
English Names: Pagoda Tree, Frangipani, Dead Man’s Flower, Temple Tree, Graveyard Tree
Indian Names:
Bengali: Golancha, Kathchampa
Hindi: Champa, Gulachin
Marathi: Khairchampa
Sanskrit: Kshirachampa
Tamil: Perungalli
Telegu : Arhataganneru
Urdu : Achin
Family: Apocynaceae
The generic name Plumeria came from the French traveller and botanist Charles Plumier (1664-1706). It was mistakenly thought to have originated in China, which is why it was named Gulechin or Flower of China.
The Sanskrit name Kshirachampa means the Milky Champa. Even the name Frangipani is derived from the French Frangipanier which means coagulated milk.
The second names are descriptive of the tree. Acutifolia is the variety with pointed leaves. Rubeira is red and Alba, white.
The ability of the tree to bloom even when it has been uprooted has made it a symbol of immortality. For this reason Buddhists and Muslims plant the tree next to the tombs of their dead. In fact, the images of the Buddha are carved from the
wood of this tree.
The Hindus consider it one of the holiest trees and plant it near temples with the flowers being offered to the deity. The tree is considered sacred to Kamadeva, the God of Love, and it is inauspicious to cut it.
It was Mughal Emperor Jahangir’s favourite flower. He wrote, “It is a flower of increasingly sweet fragrance; it has the shape of a saffron flower but is yellow inclining to white. The tree is very symmetrical and large, full of branches, and is shady. When in flower one tree will perfume a garden.”
The Anglo-Indian phrase,” to shake the Pagoda tree” was slang used by British adventurers to express the openings to rapid fortune which once existed in India.
It is a quick-growing, medium-sized, deciduous tree. The bark is a smooth grey and the branches taper only slightly at the ends. If the bark is pierced a white milky juice flows out. When it is leafless, its pale, blunt swollen trunk and branches appear ugly and gouty. But when the leaves and flowers appear it is one of the most beautiful trees of the garden.
