The Lady Under the Frangipani Tree

by M.P. Pellicer | Stranger Than Fiction Stories
In urban myths she is known as the Poinciana Woman. This story originated in Darwin (Australia) in the first half of the 20th century. In one version she is a spirit who meets the ghosts of mothers and their newborn who died in childbirth, under the branches of a Poinciana tree. In another, she is a vampiric entity that seeks revenge. 

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What are the true origins of the story of the Poinciana Woman?

The most recent stories describe Poinciana Woman haunting the Poinciana trees at East Point Reserve in Darwin, including an abandoned World War II military fortress. Like most urban legends the origins are a bit fuzzy making it difficult to determine what is true, and what is just the product of overactive imaginations.

She is also referred to as the Lady under the Frangipani Tree. This tree scientifically known as Plumeria, is an ornamental plant with large, sweet-smelling flowers that are often associated with graveyards and temples in Southeast Asia, adding to the mysterious and haunting imagery of the lady under the tree.

​Poinciana trees burst into flamboyant bloom November through February in Australia.

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Protestant Cemetery is the oldest Christian cemetery in Penang. Graves are shaded by mature frangipani trees

As the story goes, there was an aboriginal or brown-skinned Asian woman who was gang-raped by Japanese fishermen. Afterward they hung her from the branches of the tree.

During the late 1930s, historical evidence confirms Asian migrants came to Darwin in those years.

​In another version, she became pregnant, and later took her life at the Poinciana tree. Afterwards she became a vengeful ghost that eviscerates her victims. She is described as a woman wearing a white gown, with long, dark hair hanging down around her. Even if the weather is calm, a strong wind will start to blow just before her appearance.

This description is similar to ghostly stories of Women in White from across the world.

This description coincides with the story of the Pontianak, a well known urban myth known throughout Southeast Asia about a pregnant woman who kills men. Filipino and Malaysian fishermen brought the story of the Pontianak to Darwin who settled there prior to WWII.

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Poinciana Woman, evil or sorrowful, which is the truth?

This white lady has several names such as Kuntilanak (Indonesia), Pontianak (Malaysia) and Langsuir (her general commercial name in Asia).

From 1942 to 1946 a military fortress was built in Darwin (now a museum), which is close to where the Poinciana Woman is said to haunt. She is also seen at the clifftop of Dudley Point. But there is a possibility that this ghostly legend has earlier ties to the area.

It was thought that the Poinciana tree was introduced in the 1900s, brought in from Madagascar. However, others believe it was introduced earlier by Macassan fishermen, who from 1700 until the turn of the 20th century sailed yearly from Makassar on the island of Indonesia to the northern coast of Australia to fish for trepang (sea cucumber).

​Another source of the Poinciana Woman could be an adaptation of the story of Poonchearni Lady, told by the local Aboriginal people since the 19th century. A young Filipino woman waited for her betrothed, a young sailor to come back from a trip so they could marry. He never returned, his fate unknown, and she waited for him on the shore, weeping for her love, and one day she was swept out to sea. The ocean returned her to shore, barely alive and she turned into a banyan tree. Its roots are her hair, and she calls to men to shelter beneath her. 

To summon the Poinciana Woman, like all similar folklore one has to be at the right place at the right time. She will respond on a moonless night when you spin around three times and call out her name (similar to Hanako-san and Bloody Mary). But think twice, do you really want her to answer your summons?​

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