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Lei Pua Melia

The plumeria is believed to have been introduced sometime in the late 1800's, today, through Hawaiian hybridizers, there are a number of pinks, yellows, whites and reds.  There is a plumeria that smells like apricots called the rainbow and one which is red and white striped called hae-Hawai'i, Hawaiian flag; the Scott Pratt, a deep red and the Wilcox with very large blossoms.

The pua melia was not always a popular lei in Hawai'i.  The plumeria was commonly planted in graveyards where they thrived with little or no care, hence the common name graveyard plumeria!  This association with death led many Hawaiians to shun the pua melia as a lei material.  Tourism's demand for a flower lei for every tourist that visited the islands led to the use of the easy to grow, abundant, easy to string, fragrant, long lasting plumeria for leis.  Today, few old-timers still refuse to wear the lei pua melia.

Reference:  Ka Lei, The Leis of Hawaii by Marie A. McDonald