Life in China 2016: A Picture A Day, July 23 – One of my favorite flowers here in south China are the plumerias or frangipanis. These are well known tropical flowers, not only for their beauty, but also for their very strong fragrance. The white variety, with yellow centers, are known as “jidan hua” or “egg flower”, in Chinese. There is also a bright pink variety, with petals that are more pointed, and ones with pink, white and yellow combined. I personally think the pink ones are prettier, but the white ones seem to be more fragrant; I love them both! They are often laying on the ground, and I rarely pass by without picking one up so I can smell it as I’m walking :-) They are pollinated by sphinx moths at night, so that is when the fragrance is strongest. I just read that giving someone a plumeria in China is a way of saying “You are special” or “I love you.” I’ve also recently learned that although most parts of the plant are toxic, the flowers are edible, and they certainly do smell good enough to eat!