Indonesia is famous for its traditional culture, friendly people, and beautiful natural resources such as its incredible places, views, flora and fauna. If you are a nature-life seeker and love to see nice flowers around you, here is the list of common flowers in Indonesia that might make you feel awe of its glory.
Read other articles:
Flowers that are mentioned below contain “Indonesian names (Latin names)” of the flowers. Here are those:
1. Melati (Jasminum sambac)
Melati is one of the national flowers of Indonesia that represent Indonesia as the it ‘national flower’ since 1993. This pretty yet calm flower has mini white flower crowns. It smells good and relaxing, and you can tell its fragrance from several meters away.
This type of flower is used as the symbolized of purity and simplicity. Some tribes in Indonesia are using it as an accessories to complete their traditional look to held traditional event such as wedding, and other cultural ceremonies.
2. Anggrek Bulan (Phalaenopsis amabilis)
Anggrek Bulan or “Moon Orchid” in English is also type of flowers included as the national flowers of Indonesia, representing ‘charming flower’ of Indonesia.
Then, it has a very lovely features with wide white flower crown and a little bit of yellowish part on the center. It radiates a good-smelling fragrance which loved by any flower lovers. This flower lives as an epiphytes which needs supports from its host plants.
3. Anggrek Hitam (Coelogune pandurate)
Anggrek hitam or Black Orchid lives in East Kalimantan forests. It is nominated as fauna mascot of this province, too. It looks so exotic with black flower crown decorated with a bit of greenish line and furry center. Further more, Orchid collectors need to reach out deeper for having this beauty as one of their collections.
Or, any of you who can’t afford its high-price, you can meet this beauty in Kersik Luway nature preserve in East Kalimantan province.
4. Giant Padma (Rafflesia Arnoldii Flower)
This flower is different from the actual Bunga Bangkai, but similar for its strong smelly fragrance it radiates.
Rafflesia arnoldi has been chosen to be Indonesian National Flowers since 1993. It has the biggest reddish flower crown between all types of flowers in the world with up to 100 cm in diameter.
This flower has short life cycle for around 9 months and after that it blooms for around 7 days only, and then dies. So, you better ask local people first when you plan on seeing this beauty once you visit Indonesia.
5. Bunga Bangkai (Amorphophallus gigas)
Bunga Bangkai internationally famous as “corpse flower” that spreads smell of carrion all around. Differentiate from that similar Giant Padma, this flower has a long flower trunk that normally grows up to 3 meters.
Cibodas Botanic Garden, in 2004, once recorded the highest Amorphophallus gigas was 3,16 meters in height.
6. Edelweiss (Amaphalis javanica)
Edelweiss is being one of the most wanted flower among mountain climbers in Indonesia. They usually plug it to give it to the ones they love as their symbol of love. Read more about Edelweiss Flower Facts in Indonesia
The way the climbers picked it out costs their lives because it normally grows on the edge of the cliffs. It will not wither and will stay the way it is, like the last time you plugged it out from the ground and that’s why everyone symbolized perpetual love by the presence of Edelweiss flower.
7. Dadap Merah (Erythrina variegate)
Dadap Merah is one of the original flowers from Indonesia. These flowers are often easily found on the sidewalks.
This flower usually serves as plants to help beautifying the environment. Birds like to perch in Dadap Merah’s stem. Read more about Interesting Plants in Indonesia
8. Cempaka (Magnolia champaca)
Cempaka is a good-scented yellowish flower with big wooden tree. It is an identity of Aceh province and well-known as “Bongong Jeumpa”. This flower is related to holy places.
On the other hand, Aceh people use this flower to help them scent the room by putting Cempaka flower inside basin full of water, or chemically extracted its oil and turned it into perfume mixtures.
9. Kenanga (Cananga odorata)
There are several species of kenanga on earth, and one of them (which is Cananga odorata) lives originally in Indonesia. Kenanga trees like to grow in dry areas with lots of sunlight. It has green yellowish colored flowers shaped like a starfish.
On the other hand, Cananga odorata can easily be found in South Sumatera province. Indonesia people use this flower to complete their cultural traditions.
10. Bunga Ashar (Mirabilis jalapa)
Ashar-time flower has purplish flower crowns that formed like a trumpet. People in Lampung, where this flowers grow, like to plant this flower around their houses or mosques to remind them of Ashar prayer-time because it blooms habitually at dusk around 4-5 pm.
Bunga ashar, as seen in the picture, appears in white, yellow, pink, and orange colors. Read more about Rare Flowers in Indonesia
11. Kembang sepatu (Hibiscus rosasinensis)
This type of flower grows with fertile in tropical and sub-tropical areas. It has lovely pink flower crown with additional beauty from its pistil stalk with yellowish color.
People choose Kembang Sepatu as an extra natural decoration for outdoor place or outside the house. Its other benefits are to be given as floral offerings, to polish shoes, food colorings, and traditional treatments. The dried flowers can also be used as a tea.
12. Kamboja (Plumeria)
Kamboja is internationally known as “Frangipani flower”. We used to see only in religious places like cemeteries and other places, but now that has changed. Kamboja can be used as external and internal drugs, garden decoration, and even snacks when we turn it into “flower tempura”.
Meanwhile, in Bali, Kamboja especially used as floral offerings to complete ceremonial traditions.
13. Kemuning (Murraya paniculate)
Kemuning blooms all year which is good to decorate the environment around it. It has white flower crown with bushes-like plant.
Besides its benefits as hedgerows, Kemuning can also be our natural treatment to cure rheumatism, bruises, diarrhea and dysentery. And it can help us to lose weight, soothe skins, and other health problems we suffer.
14. Bougenville (Bougenvillea)
Bougenville usually be planted around outside garden of Indonesian people’s houses because of its bright and lovely purplish flowers that shaped uniquely like an origami creation.
On the other hand, this type of flower doesn’t need high-maintenance so it is suitable for outdoor plantings.
Bougenville appears in pink, purple, white, and yellow. Read more about Common Trees in Indonesia
15. Amarilis (Amaryllidaceae)
Everyone used to hate this kind of flower because it usually is considered as infection for other plants but now Amarilis is one of the beautiful flowers everyone adores.
Meanwhile, you can find this blooming flower in the amarilis flower garden in Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta. Better to choose suitable date between its 2 weeks blooming time.
Read other articles: Indonesian National Flowers
The list above shows the common flowers in Indonesia that originally grows on Indonesia areas. Besides those mentioned flowers, there surely are other unique faunas that live here in Indonesia. This country’s richness in natural resources are unbeatable. Happy exploring Indonesia!
