Is our national flower 'blue lily' or 'lily'?
Hello friends, today I am going to discuss with you about our National Flower. Do you know what is our National Flower? There is no doubt that all of you will say our national flower is the Blue Lily Flower (Nil Manel Mala). Since our childhood, we have learned as our national flower is blue lily flower . Yes, on February 26, 1986, a Cabinet paper presented under the chairmanship of Mr. K H J Wijayadasa, it was declared the Blue Lily Flower as Sri Lanka's National Flower.
But in the most recent year of 2016, Mrs. Padma Abayakoon, Director of the Biodiversity Division of the Mahaweli Development and Environment Ministry, made an announcement in which she stated that the Cabinet had approved the naming of Lily, scientifically known as Nimiphia Nouchali, as the National Flower. She has further stated that the Blue Lily with purple petals, which was known by many as the National Flower, is a foreign flower and the lily named the National Flower is a local species with light blue and white petals. She further stated that after a long study of the national flower by the expert panel, the lily flower was proposed as national flower.
The lily flower is smaller in size than the blue lily and is pale blue and white in color. The lily is less elongated in breadth, has 9–15 petals, and fewer petals than the blue lily. Additionally, there are fewer yellow stamens than blue lilies. The leaves of the lily flower, take a round shape, bright green in color.
The lily flower was selected as our national flower because it has played a significant role in our culture since ancient times. A lily is seen in the palm of the Sigiri Apsara in the paintings at Sigiriya. It has also been successful in gaining greater attention at royal events. Additionally, one of the wedding emblems on the Sri Pada of Buddha is the lily flower. As this flower is closely linked to the national culture it has selected as our national flower.
Hereafter, when someone asks what our national flower is, just remember to mention the lily flower, not the blue lily flower. The true image of the lily, which is the nation's official flower, may be found on the Mahaweli Development and Environment website.
Thanks for reading.