![]() ![]() A special quality of the Nil Manel is that it blooms almost the whole day, from seven in the morning until five in the evening. It is said that when Lord Buddha died, lotus flowers blossomed everywhere that he had stepped during his lifetime. More commonly known as the Manel flower, according to Buddhist legends this flower was one of the 108 auspicious signs found in Prince Siddhartha’s footprint. The beautiful Nil Manel or Blue Water Lily was declared as the national flower of Sri Lanka in 1986. The scientific name of the flower, Nymphaea Stellate, is derived from the Greek word “nymphaia” meaning water lily and the Latin word “stellatus” which means star. ![]() Used since ancient times to enhance the beauty of lakes and ponds, varieties have white, purple, mauve, or fuchsia-colored flowers. The Water Lily is a beautiful flower that is native to southern and eastern parts of Asia. Sri Lanka – Water Lily (Nymphaea stellata) Requiring minimum maintenance and fast growing, these plants are very hardy which is part of the reason for its selection as the national flower, easily representing as it does the people’s longing for a burgeoning and lasting national development and prosperity, and because it symbolizes the victories and struggles that the Korean people have suffered throughout time immemorial. In protest of their subjugation, Koreans planted hundreds of Mugungwha flowers as an emblem of their aspiration for independence. During the occupation, freedom of expression outside of Japanese culture was stifled. Despite its importance, Korea was unable to adopt the Mugunghwa as its National Flower until after the end of Japan’s occupation in 1945. During the Silla Kingdom (57BC – 935AD) Korea was known as the Country of Mugunghwa, and in the Goryeo Dynasty (918AD-1392AD) exemplary civil servants were rewarded with paper versions of the flower. The Mugunghwa has been important throughout Korean history. Considered as the founding King of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom, King Dangun was said to be a “grandson from heaven” and the “son of a bear” and was often painted with Mugunghwa, exemplifying and cementing its heavenly significance from then to the present day. This flower first gained recognition in Korea as early as the Gojoseon Era (Unknown – 108BC), when the Mugunghwa was regarded as “a blossom from heaven”. Known as the Mugunghwa, ‘the eternal blossom that never fades’, the Hibiscus Syriacus flower is the national flower of South Korea. ![]() South Korea – Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus Syriacus) The flowers are used to make garlands, used both as gifts and for religious devotion, and are also edible with a popular belief being that when one has something stuck in their throat, eating the flower of a Rhododendron will relieve the problem. With both shrubs and trees within the genus of Rhododendron, the Lali Gurans is a small tree, and the sight of a forest of Rhododendron in full bloom across a Nepali hillside is truly a sight to behold. Coming in to flower around March to April, the Lali Gurans herald the coming of spring. The richly red Lali Gurans is commonly found in the hills of Nepal, nationwide, at elevations between 1200m to 3600m above sea level. Lali Gurans translates as Red (Lali) Rhododendron (Gurans) in Nepali and is one of more than 1000 types of Rhododendrons in the world and one of more than 33 varieties of this vibrantly flowering tree that are found in Nepal, each with its own character and hue. The Rhododendron Arboreum, or Lali Gurans as it is known locally, is the National Flower of Nepal. But the beauty comes foremost and is apparent across Malaysia where, blooming all day long, the Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis can be seen decorating the fences of many Malaysian homes and gardens. Found throughout the country, beyond the symbolic use parts of the Bunga Raya shrub have medicinal and cosmetic uses. Symbolically, the five petals of the Bunga Raya represent the “Five Principles of Nationhood”, Malaysia’s national philosophy in strengthening national unity and tolerance, while the red colour is seen to represent courage. The five-petaled Bunga Raya (Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis) has been Malaysia’s national flower since 1960. While the Hibiscus Syriacus is South Korea’s national flower, the Yellow Hibiscus is Hawaii’s state flower, and the Bunga Raya or Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis is the national flower of Malaysia. With so much variety, flowers from the hibiscus family have been chosen to represent several countries as their national flower. Native to tropical and sub-tropical countries, this floral family of plants shares its beauty with the world in a wide variety of colours and hues from white to yellow, peach, pink and red. The hibiscus is a large genus comprising several hundreds of species that belong to the family of flowering plants known as Malvaceae. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |