Committee to examine national flower issue
Disna MUDALIGE
A committee of eminent persons has been appointed to examine various
issues related to the national flower of Sri Lanka and submit a report,
an Environment Ministry spokesman told the Daily News yesterday.
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Our report
on Monday |
He said that Environment Ministry Secretary Dr R.H.S. Samaratunga has
been appointed as the chairman of this 10 member committee. The
committee will look into the issue of identification of the correct
strain of Water Lily as the national flower. Peradeniya University
Botany Department senior lecturer Prof Deepthi Yakandawala at a meeting
with Environment Ministry officials recently pointed out that a violet
flowered Nymphaea has been erroneously identified in many scientific and
non-scientific literature as Nymphaea Nouchali which is the correct
national flower. She pointed out that due to this misidentification, the
violet flowered Nymphaea which is an alien invasive plant introduced to
the country as an ornamental aquatic plant, has acquired an important
place in social, cultural and religious events. This has led to the
shrinking of the Nymphaea Nouchali variety. She also revealed that there
has been hybridization of these two starins complicating the issue
further.
The ministry spokesman said that the committee will look into the
possible corrective measures that can be taken to avoid any confusion
over the national flower of Sri Lanka. The Biodiversity Secretariat has
also paid attention to protect the existing Nymphaea Nouchali variety
while facilitating its spread in the country.
The spokesman also said that a Nymphaea Nouchali strain which is some
what white in colour had been declared as the national flower of
Bangladesh in 1971 where as Sri Lanka declared this variety as the
national flower in 1986.
"Our native variety is light blue. However this issue will also be
considered by the committee which will extend its proposals to a high
level administrative committee headed by the Prime Minister's Secretary.
Then the final conclusion regarding the correct national flower will be
presented as a Cabinet paper," he said.
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