There are three National Flowers in Indonesia, namely – Moon Orchid, Rafflesia, and Sacred Jasmine.

• Botanical Name: Phalaenopsis amabilis

• Common Name

  • English: Moon Orchid, White Moth Orchid

  • Bahasa Indonesia: Angrek Bulan

… is one of Indonesia's three national flowers. The other two are Jasminum sambac and Rafflesia arnoldii. The Moon Orchid is one of the longest blooming orchids. The inflorescence are branched and can last from two to six months before dropping. The Moon Orchid usually blooms two to three times a year once it has reached maturity. It thrives in moist temperature so it is widely found in the lowlands of Indonesia.

—ASEAN Secretariat

• Botanical Name: Rafflesia arnoldii

• Common Name

  • English: Rafflesia

Rafflesia arnoldii is a rare flower found in the rainforests of Indonesia. It can grow to 3 feet across and can weigh up to 11 kilograms. A parasitic plant, with no visible leaves, roots, or stem. Rafflesias are always found on a host plant which it uses for its nutrients and water needs. Many of the Rafflesia species are threatened or endangered, the major reason why Indonesia adopted Rafflesia as one of its National Flower – to help in the conciousness of preserving the nature around us and the Rafflesias.

This flower take months to develop, and when it reaches it's most developed state, it will only last a few days. The Rafflesia flower only lives in primary rainforests (i.e. undisturbed), making it even more difficult to keep it alive and thriving. Through Indonesia, a strong message to everyone: let's help and save Rafflesia before it is all gone.

• Botanical Name: Jasminum sambac

• Common Name

  • English: Arabian Jasmine, Asian Jasmine, Asiatic Jasmine, Sacred Jasmine, Sambac Jasmine

  • Bahasa Indonesia: Melati

  • Filipino: Sampaguita

Cover image: 〈Phalaenopsis amabilis Orchi 03〉 by Orchi, licensed under CC-BY-SA-3.0.

This article was first published on Asean Citizens on 2007-10-13 @475.09 (19:24:08 UTC+8).

〈Indonesia National Flowers: Orchid, Rafflesia, Jasmine〉 © 2007 Yohan Yukiya Sese Cuneta.
License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC-BY-SA-4.0), except where noted.