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.
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.
|
Our report on Monday |
Confusion over national flower
By Maheesha Mudugamuwa
A committee chaired by Secretary to the Environment Ministry, Dr. R. H. S. Samarathunga has been appointed to conduct a review of the national flower. The committee comprises ten members.
They will decide on the correct national flower.
A ministry spokesman said that confusion reigns over the actual identity of the national flower ‘Nil Manel’ (Blue water lily) which is at present under threat of extinction due to hybridizing with a foreign species.
The Environment Ministry has already taken steps to protect the native flower, ‘Manel’.
The spokesman said that the report of the Committee would be handed over to another high level committee under the Prime Minister for further evaluation and identification of the National Flower.
The Cabinet decision to declare the ‘Manel’ (water lily) as the National Flower of Sri Lanka was taken in 1986. The original name of the Nil Manel was as Nymphaea Stellata and it was later re-named Nymphaea Nouchali, the spokesman said.
No comments:
Post a Comment