Due to tour guiding and constant in touch with those foreign tourists, they are amazed from what we have in our country. They will be very curious with the various plants in our country. The tourists are the people who made me realised the unique and beauty of our country, Malaysia.
As such, I feel it is important for me to constantly to add in the photo of each plants, names and a brief description on its uses.
So, to begin with, I start of with our national flower, the bunga raya or the hibiscus.
Official Symbols - Bunga RayaThe national flower of Malaysia is the hibiscus, or bunga raya. The flower is found in abundance throughout the country, and for this very reason, was chosen to be the national flower (in 1960) by Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman.
There are many varieties of the hibiscus, but the five-petaled Hibiscus rosa sinensis was chosen above the others, as the most symbolically relevant. The five petals of the bunga raya symbolise the Rukunegara (the Five Principles of Nationhood), while the colour red represents courage.
It is believed that the flower first arrived in Malaysia via trade from its original home in the Far East sometime before the 12th century.
Though hibiscus flowers last only one day, most varities bloom so profusely there are nearly always several open at any time. In Indonesia, hibiscus is called the "shoe flower" because the juice extracted from its petals was used to darken the shoes.
The national flower, bunga raya, is known for its medicinal properties. The roots of the plant are used as a cure for fever and other ailments, while the juice obtained from the leaves and roots is said to be effective in relieving skin eruptions and glandular troubles. Also, the petals were commonly used as cosmetics to darken and highlight women's eyebrows.
Sources : AllMalaysia.info
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