The Malaysian National Flower is Bunga Raya (Hibiscus). The flower is found in abundance throughout the country, and for this very reason, was chosen to be the national flower by Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, in 1960.
There are many varieties of the hibiscus, but the five-petaled Hibiscus rosa sinensis was chosen above the others, as the most symbolically relevant. The five petals of the bunga raya symbolise the Rukunegara (the Five Principles of Nationhood), while the colour red represents courage.
It is believed that the flower first arrived in Malaysia via trade from its original home in the Far East some time before the 12th century.
