List of Indonesian floral emblems
Encyclopedia
Indonesian national floral emblems
There are three categories of floral emblemFloral emblem
In a number of 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...
that symbolize Indonesia:
- National flower of IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
is Melati putihJasminum sambacJasminum sambac is a species of jasmine native to South and Southeast Asia. It is a small shrub or vine growing up to in height. It is widely cultivated for its attractive and sweetly fragrant flowers. The flowers are also used for perfumes and for making tea. It is known as the Arabian jasmine in...
(Jasminum sambac) - Flower of charm is Anggrek Bulan (Moon Orchid) (Phalaenopsis amabilisPhalaenopsis amabilisPhalaenopsis amabilis, commonly known as the Moon Orchid, is a species of orchid.- Taxonomy and nomenclature :It was first discovered on a small island off the east coast of New Guinea by native botanist Georgius Everhardus Rumphius in 1653; however, he named it Angraecum ablum majus...
)) - Rare flower is Padma Raksasa Rafflesia (Rafflesia arnoldiiRafflesia arnoldiiRafflesia arnoldii is a member of the genus Rafflesia. It is noted for producing the largest individual flower on earth, and a strong odor of decaying flesh - the latter point earning it the nickname of "corpse flower". It is an endemic plant that occurs only in the rainforest of Bengkulu and...
). All three were chosen on World Environment Day in 1990. On the other occasion Bunga Bangkai (Titan arumTitan arumThe titan arum or Amorphophallus titanum is a flowering plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world...
) was also added as puspa langka together with Rafflesia.
Melati putih (jasminum sambac), a small white flower with sweet fragrance, has long been considered as a sacred flower in Indonesian tradition
Culture of Indonesia
Indonesian culture has been shaped by long interaction between original indigenous customs and multiple foreign influences. Indonesia is central along ancient trading routes between the Far East and the Middle East, resulting in many cultural practices being strongly influenced by a multitude of...
, as it symbolizes purity, sacredness, graceful simplicity and sincerity. Although the official adoption were announced only as early as 1990 during World Environment Day and enforced by law through Presidential Decree (Keputusan Presiden) No. 4 1993, the importance of Jasminum sambac in Indonesian culture predates its official adoption. Since the formation of Indonesian republic during the reign of Sukarno, melati putih is always unofficially recognized as the national flower of Indonesia. The reverence and the elevated status of this flower mostly due to the importance of jasminum sambac in Indonesian tradition since ancient times.
Melati putih is also the most important flower in wedding ceremonies for ethnic Indonesians, especially in the island of Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
. Jasmine flower buds that haven't fully opened are usually picked to create strings of jasmine garlands called roncen melati. On wedding days, a traditional Javanese or Sundanese
Sundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
bride's hair is adorned with strings of jasmine garlands arranged as a hairnet to cover the konde (hair bun
Bun (hairstyle)
A bun is a type of hairstyle, typically worn by women, where the hair is pulled back from the face, twisted or plaited, and wrapped in a circular coil around itself, typically on the back of the head or neck. They can either be secured with a hairpiece, a hairnet and bobby pins. They may be...
). The intricately intertwined strings of jasmine garlands are left to hang loose from the bride's head. The groom's kris
Kris
The kris or keris is an asymmetrical dagger or sword nowadays most strongly associated with the culture of Indonesia, but also indigenous to Malaysia, Southern Thailand and Brunei. It is known as kalis in the southern Philippines. The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade , but many have...
is also adorned with five jasmine garlands called roncen usus-usus (intestine garlands) to refer its intestine-like form and also linked to the legend of Arya Penangsang. In Makassar and Bugis
Bugis
The Bugis are the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi, the southwestern province of Sulawesi, Indonesia's third largest island. Although many Bugis live in the large port cities of Makassar and Parepare, the majority are farmers who grow wet rice on the...
brides, the hair is also adorned with buds of jasmine that resemble pearls. Jasmine is also used as floral offerings for spirits and deities especially among Balinese
Balinese people
The Balinese population of 3.0 million live mostly on the island of Bali, making up 89% of the island's population. There are also significant populations on the island of Lombok, and in the eastern-most regions of Java The Balinese population of 3.0 million (1.5% of Indonesia's population) live...
Hindu
Hinduism in Indonesia
Hinduism in Indonesia, also known by its formal Indonesian name Agama Hindu Dharma, refers to Hinduism as practised in Indonesia. According to the 2000 census Hindus consisted 1.79% of the total population with 88.05% in Bali and 5.89% in Central Kalimantan...
, and also often present during funerals.
The jasmine has wide spectrums in Indonesian traditions; it is the flower of life, beauty and festive wedding, yet it is also often associated with spirit and death. In Indonesian patriotic songs and poems, the fallen melati often hailed as the representation of fallen heroes that sacrificed their life for the country. The Ismail Marzuki
Ismail Marzuki
Ismail Marzuki was an Indonesian composer, songwriter and musician who wrote between 202 and 240 songs between 1931 and 1958, including numerous popular patriotic songs. Among his best known works are "Gugur Bunga" and "Rayuan Pulau Kelapa". In 1968, he was honoured with the creation of Taman...
's patriotic song "Melati di Tapal Batas" (jasmine on the border) (1947) and Guruh Sukarnoputra
Guruh Sukarnoputra
Muhammad Guruh Irianto Sukarnoputra is a member of Indonesia's People's Representative Council and an artist. He is the youngest son of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno with his third wife, Fatmawati....
's "Melati Suci" (sacred jasmine) (1974) clearly refer jasmine as the representation of fallen heroes, the eternally fragrance flower that adorned Ibu Pertiwi
Ibu Pertiwi
Ibu Pertiwi is a national personification of Indonesia and East Malaysia, the allegory of Tanah Air , the Indonesian Motherland. Since prehistoric times the tribes of the Indonesian archipelago often revered earth and nature spirits as a life giving mother, a female deity of nature...
(Indonesian national personification
National personification
A national personification is an anthropomorphization of a nation or its people; it can appear in both editorial cartoons and propaganda.Some early personifications in the Western world tended to be national manifestations of the majestic wisdom and war goddess Minerva/Athena, and often took the...
).
The other two national flowers were chosen for different reasons. Moon Orchid was chosen for its beauty, while the other two rare flowers, Rafflesia arnoldii and Titan arum were chosen to demonstrate uniqueness and Indonesian floral biodiversity
Flora of Indonesia
The flora of Indonesia consists of many unique varieties of tropical plants. Blessed with a tropical climate and around 18,000 islands, Indonesia is a nation with the second largest biodiversity in the world. The flora of Indonesia reflects an intermingling of Asian, Australian and the native species...
.
Indonesian provinces floral emblems
Each of 33 Provinces of Indonesia also have native plants used as floral emblems. This is a list of Indonesian floral emblemFloral emblem
In a number of 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...
s, which represent the provinces of Indonesia
Provinces of Indonesia
The province is the highest tier of local government subnational entity in Indonesia. Each province has its own local government, headed by a governor, and has its own legislative body...
.
- AcehAcehAceh is a special region of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Daerah Istimewa Aceh , Nanggroë Aceh Darussalam and Aceh . Past spellings of its name include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin...
- Bunga Jeumpa (Michelia champacaMichelia champacaMagnolia champaca is a large evergreen tree, native to the Indomalaya ecozone . It is best known for its strongly fragrant yellow or white flowers. It is, however, primarily cultivated for its timber, and is also used in urban landscaping...
)
- North SumatraNorth SumatraNorth Sumatra is a province of Indonesia on the Sumatra island. Its capital is Medan. It is the most populous Indonesian province outside of Java. It is slightly larger than Sri Lanka in area.- Geography and population :...
- Kenanga (Cananga odorata)
- West SumatraWest SumatraWest Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. It lies on the west coast of the island Sumatra. It borders the provinces of North Sumatra to the north, Riau and Jambi to the east, and Bengkulu to the southeast. It includes the Mentawai Islands off the coast...
- Pohon Andalas (Morus macroura)
- Riau - Nibung (Oncosperma tigillarium)
- Riau islands - Sirih (Piper betle)
- Jambi - Pinang Merah (Cyrtostachys renda)
- South SumatraSouth SumatraSouth Sumatra is a province of Indonesia.-Geography:It is on the island of Sumatra, and borders the provinces of Lampung to the south, Bengkulu to the west, and Jambi to the north...
- Duku (Lansium domesticumLansium domesticumLansium domesticum, also known as langsat or lanzones, is a fruit from the family Meliaceae. The plant, which originates from western Southeast Asia. It is the provincial flower for the Indonesian province of South Sumatra.-Names:...
)
- BengkuluBengkuluBengkulu is a province of Indonesia. It is on the southwest coast of the island of Sumatra, and borders the provinces of West Sumatra, Jambi, South Sumatra and Lampung. The capital and largest city is Bengkulu city. It was formerly the site of a British garrison, which they called Bencoolen...
- Suweg Raksasa (Amorphophallus titanum)
- Bangka Belitung - Nagasari (Palaquium rostratum)
- LampungLampungLampung is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southern tip of the island of Sumatra and borders the provinces of Bengkulu and South Sumatra. Lampung is the original home of the Lampung people, who speak a distinct language from other people in Sumatra and have their own alphabet. Its...
- Bunga Ashar (Mirabilis jalapaMirabilis jalapaMirabilis jalapa is the most commonly grown ornamental species of Mirabilis, and is available in a range of colours. Mirabilis in Latin means wonderful and Jalapa is a town in Mexico...
)
- BantenBantenBanten is a province of Indonesia in Java. Formerly part of the Province of West Java, it was made a separate province in 2000.The administrative center is Serang. Preliminary results from the 2010 census counted some 10.6 million people.-Geography:...
- Kokoleceran (Vatica bantamensisVatica bantamensisVatica bantamensis, Kokoleceran, is a species of plant in the Dipterocarpaceae family. It is endemic to Indonesia.It is an endangered species.-References:* Ashton, P. 1998. ; Downloaded on 24 August 2007.*...
)
- DKI Jakarta - Salak Condet (Salacca edulis)
- West JavaWest JavaWest Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...
- Gandaria (Bouea macrophyllaBouea macrophyllaBouea macrophylla is a tropical fruit tree native to Southeast Asia. The tree belongs to the family Anacardiaceae, and is related to the mango.-Description:The evergreen tree grows to height of 25 meters...
)
- Central JavaCentral JavaCentral Java is a province of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of six provinces on the island of Java.This province is the province of high Human Development in Indonesia and its Points Development Index countries is equivalent to Lebanon. The province of Central Java...
- Kantil (Michelia alba)
- Yogyakarta Special Region - Kepel (Stelechocarpus burahol)
- East JavaEast JavaEast Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and islands to its east and to its north East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and...
- Sedap Malam (Polyanthes tuberosa)
- West KalimantanWest KalimantanWest Kalimantan is a province of Indonesia. It is one of four Indonesian provinces in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. Its capital city Pontianak is located right on the Equator....
- Tengkawang Tungkul (Shorea stenopteraShorea stenopteraShorea stenoptera, called the Light Red Meranti, is a species of plant in the Dipterocarpaceae family. It is endemic to Borneo in Malaysia and Indonesia.It is an Endangered species threatened by habitat loss..-Source:...
)
- South KalimantanSouth KalimantanSouth Kalimantan/South Borneo is one of the thirty-three Provinces of Indonesia and one of four Indonesian provinces in the Indonesian part of Borneo. The provincial capital is Banjarmasin...
- Kasturi (Mangifera casturiMangifera casturiMangifera casturi was a species of plant in the Anacardiaceae family. It was endemic to Indonesia, but is now considered extinct in the wild.-Source:*...
)
- Central KalimantanCentral KalimantanCentral Kalimantan is a province of Indonesia, one of four in Kalimantan - the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. Its provincial capital is Palangka Raya.The province has a population of just over 2.2 million at the 2010 Census...
- Tenggaring (Nephelium lappaceum)
- East KalimantanEast KalimantanEast Kalimantan is the second largest Indonesian province, located on the Kalimantan region on the east of Borneo island. The resource-rich province has two major cities, Samarinda and Balikpapan...
- Anggrek Hitam (Coelogyne pandurataCoelogyne pandurataCoelogyne pandurata is a species of Orchid from Borneo that is much sought after by hybridizers for its truly black lip.-External links:*...
)
- North SulawesiNorth SulawesiNorth Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia. It is on the island of Sulawesi, and borders the province of Gorontalo to the west . The islands of Sangihe and Talaud form the northern part of the province, which border Davao del Sur in the Philippines.The capital and largest city in North Sulawesi is...
- Longusei (Ficus minahasae)
- GorontaloGorontalo (province)Gorontalo is a province of Indonesia on the northern part of Sulawesi. The province was established in December 2000 after being split from North Sulawesi province...
- Gofasa, Gupasa (Vitex cofassusVitex cofassusVitex cofassus is a species of plant in the Lamiaceae family. It is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.It yields one of two woods from the same genus called Molave Wood, the other being Vitex parviflora....
)
- Central SulawesiCentral SulawesiCentral Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia located in the centre of Sulawesi. It was established on 13 April 1964....
- Eboni (Diospyros celebica)
- South East SulawesiSouth East SulawesiSouth East Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia on the island of Sulawesi. The capital of the province is Kendari, on the east coast of the peninsula....
- Anggrek Serat (Dendrobium utile)
- West SulawesiWest SulawesiWest Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia, which was created in 2004.- Geography :It is on the island of Sulawesi and includes the regencies of Polewali Mandar, Mamasa, Majene, Mamuju, and Mamuju Utara, which were formerly part of South Sulawesi...
- Cempaka hutan kasar (Elmerrillia ovalis)
- South SulawesiSouth SulawesiSouth Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia, located on the western southern peninsula of Sulawesi Island. The province is bordered by Central Sulawesi province to the north, South East Sulawesi province to the east and West Sulawesi province to the west...
- Lontar (Borassus flabelliferBorassus flabelliferBorassus flabellifer, the Asian Palmyra palm, Toddy palm, Sugar palm, or Cambodian palm, is native to South and Southeast Asia, in the Indomalaya ecozone...
)
- BaliBaliBali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
- Majegau (Dysoxylum densiflorum)
- West Nusa TenggaraWest Nusa TenggaraWest Nusa Tenggara is a province in south-central Indonesia. The province encompasses the western portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, except for Bali as the Wallace line running the length of the Lombok Strait forms the western boundary of the province....
- Ajan Kelicung (Diospyros macrophylla)
- East Nusa TenggaraEast Nusa TenggaraEast Nusa Tenggara is a province of Indonesia, located in the eastern portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, including West Timor. The provincial capital is Kupang, located on West Timor...
- Cendana (Santalum albumSantalum albumSantalum album or Indian sandalwood is a small tropical tree, the most commonly known source of sandalwood. This species has been utilised, cultivated and traded for many years, some cultures placing great significance on its fragrant and medicinal qualities. For these reasons it has been...
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- Maluku - Anggrek Larat (Dendrobium phalaenopsis)
- North MalukuNorth MalukuNorth Maluku is a province of northeastern Indonesia. It covers the northern part of the Maluku Islands, which are split between it and the province of Maluku. Maluku province used to cover the entire group...
- Cengkeh (Syzygium aromaticum)
- West Papua - Matoa (Pometia pinnata)
- PapuaPapua (Indonesian province)Papua comprises most of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands. Its capital is Jayapura. It's the largest and easternmost province of Indonesia. The province originally covered the entire western half of New Guinea...
- Buah merah (Pandanus conoideus)
- Ex-province Timor Timur (Timor Leste) - Ampupu (Eucalyptus urophyllaEucalyptus urophyllaEucalyptus urophylla is a species of Eucalypt native to islands of the Indonesian Archipelago and Timor. It has been used to produce hybrid species as it appears to be insect-resistant, including a timber with a trade name of "Lyptus", hybridised with Eucalyptus grandis, commonly known as the Rose...
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