Bolivia · #1 shrub National flower of Bolivia, listed in the constitution among the symbols of the state
Cantuta
Cantua buxifolia · locally: kantuta (qantu)
A flower in the colours of the Bolivian flag – red, yellow and green kantutas have been a national symbol since 1924.
The kantuta is an evergreen shrub growing to 2–4 m, with small, box-like leaves and hanging, tubular flowers several centimetres long. The flowers are purple, pink or red, and in some forms red with a yellow tube and a green calyx. They are pollinated by hummingbirds. It grows in dry, warm Andean valleys and on slopes at about 1,200–3,800 m, as well as in gardens. It was the sacred flower of the Incas and other Andean peoples, used in rituals and to decorate ceremonial sites.
Significance in the country
The kantuta was declared the national flower in 1924, and the “tricolor” form in red, yellow and green echoes the flag of Bolivia; since 2009 it has been one of the state symbols listed in the constitution.
Where it grows
In the Andean valleys and highlands of western Bolivia – especially around La Paz and in Cochabamba, Chuquisaca, Potosí and Tarija; often planted in towns and villages.
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