In some countries, plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas. Some countries have a country-wide floral emblem; others in addition have symbols representing subdivisions. Different processes have been used to adopt these symbols – some are conferred by government bodies, whereas others are the result of informal public polls. The term floral emblem, which refers to flowers specifically, is primarily used in Australia and Canada. In the United States, the term state flower is more often used.
The national flower of Bhutan is the blue poppy. Previously misidentified as the non-native Meconopsis grandis, national flower of Bhutan was identified in 2017 as Meconopsis gakyidiana, a new distinct species.
Brunei
The national flower of Brunei is Simpoh Ayer (Dillenia suffruticosa).
Cambodia
Cambodia's national flower, the romduol
Cambodia formally adopted the romduol (Khmer: រំដួល) as its national flower in the year 2005 by a royal decree. The royal decree designates the taxon as Mitrella mesnyi, however, this is a taxonomically illegitimate synonym for Sphaerocoryne affinis, which does not occur in Cambodia. The accepted species name for romduol is Sphaerocoryne lefevrei.
India
The lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is the national flower of India. It is a sacred flower in the art and culture of ancient India.[citation needed]
Indonesia
Jasminum sambac, the national flower of Indonesia and the Philippines
There are three types of floral emblems used to symbolize Indonesia:
The puspa bangsa ("national flower") of Indonesia is melati (Jasminum sambac).
The puspa pesona ("flower of charm") is anggrek bulan or moon orchid (Phalaenopsis amabilis).
The puspa langka ("rare flower") is padma raksasa rafflesia (Rafflesia arnoldii).
All three were chosen on World Environment Day in 1990, and enforced by law through Presidential Decree (Keputusan Presiden) No. 4 1993, On the other occasion, bunga bangkai (Titan arum) was also added as puspa langka together with rafflesia.
Melati (Jasminum sambac), a small white flower with sweet fragrance, has long been considered a sacred flower in Indonesian tradition, as it symbolizes purity, sacredness, graceful simplicity and sincerity. For example, on her wedding day, a traditional Indonesian bride's hair is often adorned with arrangements of jasmine, while the groom's kris is often adorned with a lock of jasmine. However, jasmine is also often used as a floral offering for spirits and deities, and also often present during funerals, which has caused it to be seen as having mystical and sacred properties. Moon orchid was chosen for its beauty, while the other two rare flowers, Rafflesia arnoldii and Titan arum, were chosen to demonstrate uniqueness and Indonesia's rich biodiversity.
The national flower of Iran is the water lily (nymphaea sp.) referred to as Niloofare Abi in Persian. The flower is the national flower of Iran since the Achaemenid Empire era (552 BC).
The Philippines adopted the sampaguita (Arabian jasmine, Jasminum sambac) in 1934 as its national flower because it symbolizes purity and cleanliness due to its color and sweet smell. It is popularly strung into garlands presented to visitors and dignitaries and is a common adornment on religious images.
The national flower of Singapore is a hybrid orchid cultivar known as the Singapore orchid or Vanda Miss Joaquim (Vanda hookeriana × Vanda teres).
South Korea
The national flower of South Korea is Hibiscus syriacus. Known in South Korea as mugunghwa (Korean: 무궁화), the flower's symbolism relates to the Korean word mugung, which means "eternity" or "inexhaustible abundance". Despite being made the national flower officially after Korea regained its independence from Japan, mugunghwa has been associated with Korean culture for many centuries, with the Silla kingdom having called itself the "Country of the Mugunghwa" (Korean: 근화향, Romanized: Geunhwahyang).
Sri Lanka
Nymphaea nouchali is the national flower of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The national flower of Sri Lanka is Nil mānel (නිල් මානෙල්), the blue-star water-lily (Nymphaea stellata). Although nil means "blue" in Sinhala, the Sinhalese name of this plant is often rendered as "water-lily" in English. This beautiful aquatic flower appears in the Sigiriya frescoes and has been mentioned in ancient Sanskrit, Pali and Sinhala literary works. Buddhist lore in Sri Lanka claims that this flower was one of the 108 auspicious signs found on Prince Siddhartha's footprint.
The national flower of Taiwan was officially designated as the plum blossom by the Executive Yuan on 21 July 1964. The plum blossom, known as the meihua (Chinese:梅花; pinyin:méihuā), is a symbol of resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity, because plum trees often bloom most vibrantly even during the harshest winters. The triple grouping of stamens represents Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People, while the five petals symbolize the five branches of the government.
Thailand
The national flower of Thailand is the Golden Shower Tree (Cassia fistula). The tree (which is also the country's national tree) is locally known as ratchaphruek (Thai: ราชพฤกษ์), while the flower itself is known as dok khun (Thai: ดอกคูน).
United Arab Emirates
The national flower of the United Arab Emirates is Tribulus omanense. A creeping plant with bright yellow flowers, it thrives in the UAE's arid climate, growing well in areas such as sand dunes, road verges, oases and desert plains.
Vietnam
The Lotus flower is used as the logo of national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines
Denmark – The daisy, specifically either marguerite daisy (Argyranthemum frutescens) or oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), the latter being native to Denmark and becoming more frequently used. Previously red clover (Trifolium pratense) had been announced as the national flower in the 1930s, but this choice was not popular with the public and it was largely forgotten.
Hungary - The national flower is the tulip. It is a symbol deeply rooted in Hungarian history and culture, particularly associated with the Ottoman period when tulips were introduced to the country.
The flower of the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) is the national flower of Italy. The strawberry tree began to be considered one of the national symbols of Italy in the 19th century, during the Italian unification, because with its autumn colors is reminiscent of the flag of Italy (green for its leaves, white for its flowers and red for its berries). For this reason the strawberry tree is considered the national tree of Italy.
The Italian poet Giovanni Pascoli dedicated a poem to the strawberry tree. He refers to the Aeneid passage in which Pallas, killed by Turnus, was posed on branches of a strawberry tree. He saw in the colours of that plant a prefiguration of the flag of Italy and considered Pallas the first national cause martyr. Pascoli's ode says:
(in Italian)
O verde albero italico, il tuo maggio è nella bruma: s'anche tutto muora, tu il giovanile gonfalon selvaggio spieghi alla bora
—Giovanni Pascoli
Oh green Italian tree, your May month is in the mist: if everything dies, you, the youthful wild banner unfold to the northern wind
While most people believe it to be the tulip, the actual national flower of the Netherlands is the daisy (Bellis perennis). It was elected in a public vote in 2023.
Portugal does not officially have a national flower, though the lavender is commonly cited. The carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) is also a symbol of the nation's triumph against the authoritarian far-right Estado Novo dictatorship, known as the Carnation Revolution.
The national flower of Serbia is Natalie's ramonda (Ramonda nathaliae). It is considered a symbol of Serbia's struggle and victory in World War I, with the country suffering the largest casualty rate relative to its population. To commemorate Serbian soldiers who died in the war, as well as the resurrection of the country after the devastation, people wear artificial Natalie's ramonda as a symbol of remembrance, especially during the week leading up to Armistice Day, which is a public holiday.
The national flower of Slovenia is a carnation. It is traditionally present at all significant moments of someone's life. White carnations can be traditionally present at Slovenian christenings and at Slovenian weddings, where the bride has a white carnation flower stuck in her hair and the groom wears a white carnation pinned to his breast pocket or buttonhole. While white carnation represents happiness and celebration, red carnation has a more diverse meaning in Slovenian culture. First meaning comes from French and Russian revolutionaries and symbolises revolution and workers. Red carnations also symbolise love and courtship. In folksongs and folk traditions, when young men in the country villages were calling girls in the night under their windows and serenading them, receiving a red carnation bouquet meant, that the serenaded girl accepted their courtship. Finally, at the funeral of a loved one, their acquaintances, friends and family bid a final farewell to the deceased by each throwing a red carnation into the open grave.
Furthermore, carnations often appear embroidered on tablecloths, handkerchiefs, blouses, bed linen, lace and on parts of Slovenian national costume, such as skirts, trouser legs and traditional headwear, especially avba. Additionally, carnations are often flowers hanging from flowerbeds on balconies and windows, which is a source of pride for Slovenian homes. This can be observed throughout Slovenia, most prominently in Gorenjska and Štajerska regions.
The national flower of Nicaragua is known as the sacuanjoche (Plumeria rubra), which grows on a conical tree that flowers around May. Sacuanjoche flowers are most fragrant at night in order to lure sphinx moths to pollinate them. The flowers have no nectar, and simply dupe their pollinators.
Oceania
Golden wattle, the floral emblem of Australia since 1988New Zealand's floral emblem, the kōwhai
New Zealand does not have an official national flower, but the silver fern (foliage) is acknowledged as its national emblem. The kōwhai (Sophora spp., native trees with yellow cascading flowers) is usually regarded as the national flower. Other plant emblems are koru (a curled fern symbol) and the crimson-flowered pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa), also called New Zealand's Christmas tree.[citation needed]
Tonga
The heilala (Garcinia sessilis) is Tonga's national flower. The name of Tonga's beauty pageant, the Heilala Festival, is taken from this flower. Resorts as well as consumer products are also often named after this flower, such as the Heilala Lodge and Heilala Vanilla. The flower is also used in Tonga for medicinal and ornamental purposes.[citation needed]
South America
Argentina
The flower of the ceibo tree, the national flower of Argentina and Uruguay
The national flower of Argentina is the flower of the ceibo tree (Erythrina crista-galli), also known as seibo or bucaré.
Brazil has no official national flower. It is popularly considered to be the flower of the golden trumpet tree (Handroanthus chrysotrichus; Portuguese: Ipê-amarelo) – so much so that multiple proposals have been put forth over the last 70 years to recognize it officially. However, for various reasons, none have ever been voted on by Congress to be ratified.
Chile
Copihue, the national flower of Chile
The national flower of Chile is the copihue (Lapageria rosea).
The yellow iris was officially declared as the regional flower in 1991, chosen for its presence in the marshy landscape where the city originated. The flower has been associated with Brussels for centuries due to its natural growth in the Senne valley.
The Gaillardia emerged as a symbol of Walloon feminist activism through the efforts of Léonie de Waha, a key figure in female education and founder of the Union des femmes de Wallonie. It was later officially adopted as Wallonia’s floral emblem by decree on 3 December 2015.
The pitcher plant was officially declared as the provincial flower in 1954, but had appeared on the colony's coinage as early as the 1880s. It can be found in the marshlands of the province feeding on insects that fall into its leaves and drown.
The Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, sw. Carl von Linné (1707–1778), often called the father of taxonomy or "The flower-king", was born in Älmhult in Småland. He gave the Twinflower its Latin name based on his own (Latin: Linnaea borealis), because of his particular fondness of it. The flower has become Småland's provincial flower.
A county flower is a flowering plant chosen to symbolise a county. They exist primarily in the United Kingdom, but some counties in other countries also have them.
One or two county flowers have a long history in England – the red rose of Lancashire dates from the Middle Ages, for instance. However, the county flower concept was only extended to cover the whole United Kingdom in 2002, as a promotional tool by a charity. In that year, the plant conservation charity Plantlife ran a competition to choose county flowers for all counties, to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.
Plantlife's scheme is loosely based on Britain's historic counties, and so some current local government areas are not represented by a flower, and some of the counties included no longer exist as administrative areas. Flowers were also chosen for thirteen major cities: Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham and Sheffield. The Isles of Scilly was also treated as a county (distinct from Cornwall) for the purpose of the scheme. The Isle of Man was included, even though it is not a county, but a self-governing territory outside of the United Kingdom with an existing national flower: the ragwort or cushag. The Channel Islands were not included.
A total of 94 flowers were chosen in the competition. 85 of the 109 counties have a unique county flower, but several species were chosen by more than one county. Foxglove or Digitalis purpurea was chosen for four counties – Argyll, Birmingham, Leicestershire and Monmouthshire – more than any other species. The following species were chosen for three counties each:
Azerbaijan currently has no official national flower. Traditionally, various regions have different designations where national symbols are concerned. The city of Shusha named the Khari Bulbul (Ophrys caucasica) the floral emblem of the Nagorno-Karabakh.
China currently has no official national flower. Traditionally, various regions have different designations where national symbols are concerned.
In 1903, the Qing dynasty named the peony (牡丹) the floral emblem of the nation. The peony has long been considered a flower of wealth and honor in China.[citation needed]
The puppet state Manchukuo followed Japan's model of dual floral emblems: the "spring orchid" (Cymbidium goeringii) for the Emperor and the imperial household, and the sorghum blossom (Sorghum bicolor) for the state and the nation.[citation needed]
The plum blossom, meihua (Chinese:梅花; pinyin:méihuā), has also been one of the most beloved flowers in Chinese culture. The Republic of China government named the plum blossom as the national flower in 1964. The plum blossom is symbol for resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity, because plum blossoms often bloom most vibrantly even amidst the harsh winter snow.
The People's Republic of China, established in 1949, has not yet designated an official floral emblem. There have been several petitions in recent years to officially adopt one. However, the government has not taken any action yet. A poll in 2005 showed that 41% of the public supports peony as the national flower while 36% supported the plum blossom. Some scholars have suggested that the peony and plum blossoms may be designated as dual national flowers. In addition, the orchid, jasmine, daffodil and chrysanthemum have also been held as possible floral symbols of China.
Ecuador
No flower has been officially declared as a national symbol. Unofficially the rose and the orchid are claimed to hold that title.
While France does not have an official national flower, the fleur-de-lis, which was a symbol of the royal family, as well as the cornflower (blue), marguerite (white), and red poppy, which together represent the tri-colored national flag, are also generally treated as French national flowers.[citation needed]
Guinea
In a 2018 public vote Vernonia djalonensis was voted as the national flower of Guinea, a decision which is currently awaiting government approval
Japan's national government has never formally named a national flower, as with other symbols such as the green pheasant, which was named as national bird by a non-government body in 1947. In 1999, the national flag and anthem were standardised by law.
While Vietnam does not have an official flower, four plants are traditional regarded as the four graceful plants, namely: the lotus, the pine, bamboo, and the chrysanthemum. The lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is generally regarded as the unofficial national flower of Vietnam, as portrayed, for example, on their postage stamps. In Vietnamese tradition, the lotus is regarded as the symbol of purity, commitment and optimism for the future.
↑Rohit Kumar (1999). Nepal, Nature's Paradise: Insight Into Diverse Facets of Topography, Flora & Ecology. M. Devi. p.188. ISBN978-9748614946.
↑North Korea Quarterly. Institute of Asian Affairs. 1988. ...Rose of Sharon is no longer the national flower, as in South Korea, but "mongnan" (magnolia). It is because [the rose of Sharon] cannot be grown for next generations with seeds, while [magnolia] can be.
↑"Nationalplanter og -dyr"[Nationalplants and -animals] (in Danish). Naturstyrelsen, Danish Ministry of the Environment. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
↑(in Italian) various authors - Guida pratica agli alberi e arbusti in Italia; Biblioteca per chi ama la natura - Selezione dal Reader's Digest Milano 1983, 1991.
↑Giovanni Pascoli, in the autograph note to his poem "Il corbezzolo" ("The strawberry tree"), compared the virgilian, deposed after death on branches of a strawberry tree, to the Italian martyrs wrapped up, during the burial ceremonies, in the Italian flag.
1234James Minahan. The complete guide to national symbols and emblems, Vol. 1. Greenwood Press. 2009.
↑Scott #874 and #875 show the lotus and flag, respectively, in honor of the first unified National Assembly general elections of 1976. Scott Publishing Company (2008). 2009 Scott Standard Stamp Catalogue: Vietnam. Vol.6. New York. p.1001.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link), and again the flag and lotus are on the bicentennial issue Scot #3233, Scott Standard Stamp Catalogue 2008 page 1032
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