List of national flowers


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.

National plants

Africa

Ethiopia

The national flower of Ethiopia is Zantedeschia aethiopica, commonly known as calla lily.

Mauritius

The national flower of Mauritius is the Ruizia boutoniana.

Nigeria

The national flower of Nigeria is Costus spectabilis which is commonly known as Yellow Trumpet.

Seychelles

The national flower of the Seychelles is the tropicbird orchid, Angraecum eburneum.

South Africa

The national flower of South Africa is the King Protea, Protea cynaroides.

Tunisia

The national flower of Tunisia is jasmine. It was chosen as a symbol for the 2010 Tunisian Revolution.

Zimbabwe

The national flower of Zimbabwe is the flame lily, Gloriosa superba.

Asia

Afghanistan

The national flower of Afghanistan is the Tulip. It is called Lala in the Farsi language and Khatol in the Pashto language.

Bangladesh

The national flower of Bangladesh is the water lily Nymphaea nouchali. It is called shapla in the Bengali language.

Bhutan

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.

Cambodia

formally adopted the romduol 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 is the national flower of India. It is a sacred flower in the art and culture of ancient India.

Indonesia

There are three types of floral emblems used to symbolize Indonesia:
  • The puspa bangsa of Indonesia is melati.
  • The puspa pesona is anggrek bulan or moon orchid.
  • The puspa langka is padma raksasa rafflesia.
All three were chosen on World Environment Day in 1990, and enforced by law through Presidential Decree No. 4 1993, On the other occasion, bunga bangkai was also added as puspa langka together with rafflesia.
Melati, 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.
Each of the 34 provinces of Indonesia also has a native plant as its provincial flower.

Iran

The national flower of Iran is the water lily which is also called nymphaea. The flower is the national flower of Iran since the Achaemenid Empire era.
File:Darius In Parse.JPG|thumb|Darius the great holds a water lily In Persepolis

Israel

The national flower of Israel is the poppy anemone, chosen in 2013 to replace Cyclamen persicum.

Jordan

The national flower of Jordan is black iris .

Kuwait

The national flower of Kuwait is Arfaj.

Laos

The national flower of Laos is the plumeria, despite it no longer being endemic.

Malaysia

The national flower of Malaysia is the bunga raya.

Maldives

The national flower of the Maldives is the pink polyantha rose, called fiyaathoshi finifenmaa.

Mongolia

The national flower of Mongolia is Scabiosa comosa.

Myanmar

The national flower of Myanmar is Pterocarpus indicus.

Nepal

The national flower of Nepal is the tree rhododendron.

North Korea

The national flower of North Korea is the Korean mountain magnolia.

Palestine

The national flower of Palestine is the Faqqua iris.

Pakistan

The national flower of Pakistan is common jasmine also known as ''Jasminum officinale.''

Philippines

The Philippines adopted the sampaguita 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.
Sampaguita in the Filipino language is a direct loan word from the Indian sanskrit word "campaka". Plants of some species of flowers like Sampaguita, fruits like mango and nangka, vegetables like ampalaya, patola, malunggay, name of Philippine's pre-Christian chief god Bathala, came from India during pre-Spanish Indianised trade and influences. Among strong traces of continuity of Hindu influence in Philippines are placing of Sampaguita garland around the neck of visitors to show hospitality and friendship, throwing the rice over bride and groom for prosperity, performing paninilbihan, paying dowry, visiting a shrine to pray for fertility, etc.

Saudi Arabia

The national flower of Saudi Arabia is Royal Jasmine.

Singapore

The national flower of Singapore is a hybrid orchid cultivar known as the Singapore orchid or Vanda Miss Joaquim.

South Korea

The national flower of South Korea is Hibiscus syriacus. Known in South Korea as mugunghwa, 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".

Sri Lanka

The national flower of Sri Lanka is Nil mānel, the blue-star water-lily. 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.

Taiwan

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, 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. The tree is locally known as ratchaphruek, while the flower itself is known as dok khun.

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 national flower of Vietnam is the lotus flower .

Europe

Albania

The national flower of Austria is edelweiss.

Belgium

The flower of the strawberry tree 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. 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:

Lithuania

The national flower is the Maltese rock-centaury.

Netherlands

While most people believe it to be the tulip, the actual national flower of the Netherlands is the daisy. It was elected in a public vote in 2023.

North Macedonia

The national flower of North Macedonia is the poppy.

Poland

Portugal does not officially have a national flower, though the lavender is commonly cited. The carnation is also a symbol of the nation's triumph against the authoritarian far-right Estado Novo dictatorship, known as the Carnation Revolution.

Romania

The national flower of Serbia is Natalie's ramonda. 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.

Slovakia

  • Slovakia – ''Tilia''

    Slovenia

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.

Spain

The national flower of Sweden is Campanula rotundifolia. It won a public vote in 2021.

Switzerland

The national flower of Switzerland is edelweiss.

Turkey

The national flower of Turkey is the tulip.

Ukraine

Each of the United Kingdom's four constituent countries has one or more national flower:

Canada

The maple leaf is widely used as a symbol for Canada. The maple tree was officially recognized as Canada's arboreal emblem in 1996.
Canada's provinces and territories also have official provincial or territorial floral emblems:
Many Canadian flags and coats-of-arms have floral emblems on them. The flag of Montreal has four floral emblems. On the right side of the flag of Saskatchewan overlapping both green and gold halves is the western red lily, the provincial floral emblem. The coat of arms of Port Coquitlam has the city's floral emblem, the azalea, displayed on a collar. The coat of arms of Prince Edward Island displays lady's slippers, the floral emblem of the island. When coat of arms of Nova Scotia were reassumed in 1929, the trailing arbutus or mayflower, the floral emblem of Nova Scotia, was added.

Mexico

The national flower of Mexico is the dahlia.

United States

In 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation to make the rose the national floral emblem of the United States. Adopted as representative symbols by state legislatures, each of the 50 states has a state flower and tree. Each of the five inhabited territories, namely American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, also have an official territory flower.

Central America and the Caribbean

Antigua and Barbuda
The national flower of Antigua and Barbuda is Agave karatto, also known as "dagger log" or "batta log".
The Bahamas
The national flower of the Bahamas is the Yellow Elder.
Barbados
The national flower of Barbados is known locally as the Pride of Barbados.
Belize
The national flower of Belize is the black orchid.
Costa Rica
The national flower of Costa Rica is the guaria morada.
Cuba
The national flower of Cuba since 13 October 1936, is the ''white ginger lily.''
Dominica
The national flower of Dominica is Sabinea carinalis, commonly known as Carib wood or Bois Caraibe.
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic's national flower was originally the flower of the caoba. In 2011, the mahogany was instead dubbed the national tree, vacating the national flower spot for the Bayahíbe rose in order to bring attention to its conservation.
El Salvador
The national flower of El Salvador is the flor de izote, of the Yucca gigantea.
Guatemala
The national flower of Guatemala is the monja blanca.
Haiti
The national flower of Haiti is the Choeblack or rose kayenn.
Honduras
The national flower of Honduras is the orchid Rhyncholaelia digbyana.
Jamaica
The national flower of Jamaica is the lignum vitae.
Nicaragua
The national flower of Nicaragua is known as the sacuanjoche, 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

Australia

The golden wattle was officially proclaimed the floral emblem of Australia on 1 September 1988.

Fiji

The national flower of Fiji is tagimaucia, a vine with red and white flowers endemic to the highlands of the island of Taveuni.

French Polynesia

The Tahitian gardenia is the national flower of Tahiti, French Polynesia, and the Cook Islands.

New Zealand

does not have an official national flower, but the silver fern is acknowledged as its national emblem. The Kōwhai is usually regarded as the national flower. Other plant emblems are Koru and the crimson-flowered Pohutukawa, also called New Zealand's Christmas tree.

Tonga

The heilala 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.

South America

Argentina

The national flower of Argentina is the flower of the ceibo tree, also known as seibo or bucaré.

Bolivia

has two national flowers: the kantuta and patujú.

Brazil

has no official national flower. It is popularly considered to be the flower of the golden trumpet tree – 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 of Brazil|Congress] to be ratified.

Chile

The national flower of Chile is the copihue.

Colombia

Cattleya trianae is the national flower of Colombia and is the orchid which flowers in May. The May flower was chosen because the colors are the same as those of the Colombian flag.

Guyana

The national flower of Guyana is the Victoria regia lily.

Paraguay

The national flower of Paraguay is mburucuyá.

Peru

The national flower of Peru is Cantua buxifolia.

Suriname

Called faya lobi in Sranantongo, the jungle geranium is commonly considered a symbol of Suriname.

Uruguay

The national flower of Uruguay is the flower of the ceibo tree.

Venezuela

The national flower of Venezuela is the Flor de Mayo, an orchid.

Subnational plants

CountrySubdivisionNamePicturesNotes
Canada

Australia

Each of the four countries of the United Kingdom has a traditional floral emblem:
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 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:
And the following species were chosen for two counties:
In addition, Sticky Catchfly Lychnis viscaria was chosen for both Edinburgh and Midlothian, the county containing Edinburgh.
For most counties, native species were chosen, but for a small number of counties, non-natives were chosen, mainly archaeophytes.

Sri Lanka

The flame lily was designated as the national flower of the unrecognised state of Tamil Eelam by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), because it contains all the colours contained in the Tamil Eelam national flag and because it grows during November, coinciding with Maaveerar Naal.

Unofficial plants

Armenia

No plant or flower seems to be among the current official symbols. Some flowering plants from the area include Althaea armeniaca, Armenian Basket, Muscari armeniacum, Papaver lateritium, Armenian vartig, and Tulipa armena.

Azerbaijan

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 the floral emblem of the Nagorno-Karabakh.

Belarus

The unofficial national flower of Belarus is wild blue flax, Centaurea.

China

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 the floral emblem of the nation. The peony has long been considered a flower of wealth and honor in China.
The puppet state Manchukuo followed Japan's model of dual floral emblems: the "spring orchid" for the Emperor and the imperial household, and the sorghum blossom for the state and the nation.
The plum blossom, meihua, 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.

Egypt

Both Blue Egyptian Lotus and White Egyptian Lotus are regarded as Egypt's national flowers, and they appear in many Ancient Egyptian paintings and monuments.

France

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, marguerite, and red poppy, which together represent the tri-colored national flag, are also generally treated as French national flowers.

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

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.
A de facto national flower for Japan for many is the sakura, while a stylised depiction of a Chrysanthemum morifolium is used as the official emblem of the imperial family. The Paulownia blossom was also used by the imperial family in the past, but has since been appropriated by the Prime Minister and the government in general.

Vietnam

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 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.''