Plumeria

Plumeria is not native to Hawaiʻi, but it arrived in the 1860s and promptly became the island's signature scent. It grows as a small, stout tree with thick branches and glossy leaves, and it drops its flowers in thick carpets beneath itself.

The blossom is the backbone of the lei: easy to string, slow to wilt, and impossibly fragrant at dusk. It is given to arriving guests and departing friends, which makes it the flower of both hello and goodbye.

Take your time with these petals. They are the color of warm sand turning to gold, and the tree behind them is the shape of a Hawaiian afternoon.