The Blooms of Bolivia
Most countries have a national flower; Bolivia in South America has two! The Andes Mountains lie to the west of Bolivia. The east of the country is completely different; it’s tropical and is part of the Amazon rainforest. There are many different peoples and cultures too. In 1990, the government decided it would have two flowers to represent the regions and their people; as a symbol of unity for the country.
The national flower from the western Andes region is the Kantuta tricolour or the “Magic Flower of the Incas.” It was also the original national flower. It is a delicate and elegant plant with flowers shaped like bells. A variety of this flower is also the national flower of Peru. The Bolivian variety has red petals, a yellow floral tube and a green calyx (the part of the plant that supports the petals). These colours are the same colours that are found on the Bolivian flag.
The Inca people believed that the kantuta flower was sacred. One of their legends tells of two powerful kings, Illimani and Illampu, who lived in ancient times in the Andes region of Bolivia. At first, the kings lived in harmony, each ruling his kingdom and minding his own business. As time passed, they became jealous and fell out with each other. They started a bitter battle. There was nothing but trouble and strife. In the end, both kings were seriously wounded. They demanded on their death beds that their sons vow to carry on the battle. The princes really didn’t want to continue fighting, but they felt they had to.
Of course, history repeated itself and the two princes were wounded too. They were both kind and wise men and decided that the best thing to do would be to forgive each other so the feud would end. Suddenly, Pachamama, the Incan Earth Mother, appeared. She was very angry with the kings for starting such discord. She ordered their stars down from the heavens to the earth. The stars formed two snow-capped mountains, which can be found in Bolivia today. The Incas believed that the rivers made up of melting snow flowing down from the mountains symbolised the tears of sadness from the kings for their bad behaviour. These rivers fertilize the valleys below, and it is here that the pretty kantuta flower grows. The red and yellow colours of the flower were the colours of the princes, and the green represents hope.
The flower representing the tropical east of Bolivia is the patuju; also known as the “Hanging Lobster Claw” because that’s exactly what it looks like. Usually, flowers of this type are cup shaped, with the petals facing upward where they catch water for birds and insects – but this particular flower droops downwards and instead provides nectar for birds. Hummingbirds love it. Like the kantuta flower, its colours are yellow, red and green, but it couldn’t look more different. It’s big, bright and showy; and grows easily in the tropical climate.
