Flowers of Da Lat
The peach blossom
The peach blossom is a sentimental symbol of Da Lat.
It reminds many natives of springtime in northern Viet Nam. Though slender, the
peach blossom branch also exudes the solemnity and determination of the
Vietnamese people. Flower connoisseurs often prefer peach blossoms that are
bright red as rubies. Years ago, Da Lat used to have an entire forest of peach
trees. Up until the 1970's, one could walk along Cam Ly Springs. It flowed
slowly from Xuan Huong Lake in the west to a cliff and dropped abruptly to make
a majestic waterfall. Tourists could then see the brilliantly red shawl of
peach blossoms up on the Da Cat Hill each spring. That forest now only remains
in the memory of Da Lat elders and older tourists, as deforestation has nearly
wiped it out completely. Fortunately, there are still quite a few peach trees
grown near Xuan Huong Lake. They blossom during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year
(January-February).
The orchid
The orchid is another Da Lat attraction. Named
"queen of the world of flowers," it is a common sight wherever you go
in Da Lat. Among the world's 100,000 species of orchids, Viet Nam already has
500, many of which grow in Da Lat. Da Lat grows all four types of orchids found
worldwide:
Those on other plants and trees as parasites
Those on high rocks and cliffs
Those in leaves and mud
Those on other kinds of vegetation
Lang Biang and Da Lat have a very interesting kind
of orchid, Ian hai. In Vietnamese, hails a beautifully embroidered shoe that
used to be worn by noble ladies. The flower is so named as it has the shape of
a hai. It originates from the species P. Delnatii. The flower received
attention and praise at an international orchid exhibition in 1995 in Tokyo,
Japan.
The mimosa
The mimosa is popular in Da Lat not only because it
appears in many places in town, but also because it has found itself into the
hearts of locals and visitors through the lyrics of songwriter Tran Kiet Tuong:
"Dear Darling Mimosa, where do you come from? Da Lat's mountains and hills
wave majestically... Da Lat with immense sky and water..."
The mimosa, which originally came from Australia, is
three to six meters tall. It has bright yellow flowers and leaves that are
green with a silvery luster. The tree blossoms two or three times each year and
flourishes during the sunny seasons. Da Lat has two types of mimosa trees: long
and short-leafed. Its scientific name is Acacia Podaly-riaefolia Cunn,
Mimosaceae.
According to folklore, Da Lat girls often like to
place the mimosa between the pages of a book, and then send it to their
boyfriends. The flower retains its sweet scent, which is a reminder of her
affection. Like the mimosa itself, this practice emanated from a love story of
Australian origin:
Once upon a time, the son of an Australian fisherman
fell in love with the wealthy daughter of an aristocrat. The boy was endowed
with intelligence and a very strong physique. The girl, who loved yellow, was
extremely beautiful and kind-hearted. When the two of them had their
rendezvous, they kissed and made love passionately on the romantic coast of
Sydney. Unfortunately, the girl's family disapproved of this relationship and
pressured her to marry a duke, in spite of her objections.
Burdened with profound sorrow, the boy abandoned his
fishing and moved to the mountains to live a hermit's life. One day, a fire
broke out in the forest. The boy jumped into the fire, desperately trying to
put it out so he could save the forest and the wild animals. He choked in the
thick fumes and fainted. The cruel fire engulfed him and finally caused his
death.
The girl, who had been told about her lover's
departure for the forest on the night of her wedding, ran away to look for him.
However, when she arrived, all she could see was his black-burnt body among the
ashes in the forest. Grief stricken, she fell dead beside her lover. At the
place where the two lovers died, there is a tree with yellow flowers. The
locals named it "mimosa."
The purple flamboyant or flame tree (Jacaranda Acutifolia)
The purple flamboyant of flame tree is another
special feature of Da Lat, because its flowers are purple instead of the
characteristic red color of its brother in northern Viet Nam. The tree's
scientific name is Jacaranda Acutifolia belonging to the Bignoniaceae family. Since
its leaves are very similar to those of the mimosa, the purple flame tree is
also called J. Mimosaefolia. Moreover, as its leaves bear the shape of an egg,
the tree is also called J. Ovalifolia. The purple flame trees in Da Lat blossom
toward the end of winter and through spring. In the past, the entire town had
only four purple flame trees, including three in the town's flower park and one
on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street leading to Da Lat Market (in front of Thuy Ta
Restaurant).
The purple flame tree came from Brazil. It is widely
grown for ornamental purposes on roadsides and in parks in South America,
Africa and Oceania. Vietnamese engineer Luong Van Sau was the first person bringing
the purple flame tree to Da Lat and grew it here. Mr. Luong Van Sau was also a
member of the Societe Francaise des Roses. After him, other growers multiplied
the purple flame tree in Da Lat.
The purple flame tree came from Brazil. It is widely
grown for ornamental purposes on roadsides and in parks in South America,
Africa and Oceania. Vietnamese engineer Lircmg Van Sau was the first person to
bring the purple flame tree to -Da Lat and grew it here. Mr. Luong Van Sau was
also a member of the Societe Francaise des Roses. After him, other growers
multiplied the purple flame tree in Da Lat.
The hydrangea
The hydrangea is grown in many places in
Da Lat, especially in private gardens, at offices and in parks. The flower has
been associated with an old Roman story. According to legend, in southern
Europe, a beautiful Roman princess had reached marital age. But she rejected
all the proposals from the most noble and wealthy men. One day, while she was
making an excursion outside the town, she saw a general being cheered by a
crowd. She threw the flower she was holding in her hand, and it landed on the
general. That's how she selected her husband.
The flower is shaped like a ball. Its four colors
change with each cycle of growth. When it first appears, the flower is white.
Then it changes into light green, then dark green and finally purple.
The Da Lat rose
The Da Lat rose is much favored not only in Da Lat
itself, but also nationwide. Da Lat sells lots of its roses to the bigger
cities, such as Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City. You can find many Da Lat roses in
Da Lat Market. The flower comes in all sorts of colors and shapes, such as red,
pink, velvet and yellow.
In 2000, roses were grown on 83 hectares of
land in Da Lat, representing the largest share
of the flower-growing area in the town (compared
with 53 hectares for chrysanthemums and 30
hectares for gladioli. The best known
flower gardens of Da Lat are located in the An Son area (sub-district
No. 4). The cultivation of chrysanthemums
is concentrated in Van Thanh and Thai Phien, and
gladioli in Xuan Truong.
The yellow roses which bear the name of Josephine,
wife of the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, are much valued
in Europe. They are also quite abundant in Da Lat. Da Lat brides
love to decorate their weddings with the local white roses. Some other roses
bear the names of movie stars, such as Princess Grace of Monacc
(Actress Grace Kelly) because they have the colors of the dresses worn by these
personalities. Some of Da Lat's roses can last from seven to 15 days in vases.
The gladiolus
The gladiolus is very popular among growers in Da
Lat because it is easy to grow and yields high returns.
As legend has it, a Roman general captured two young
prisoners and kept them in his house. His two daughters fell in love
with the two prisoners. When
the general discovered the situation, he became angry and made the two
prisoners fight each other in a duel. However, the two young
men refused to fight and fixed their swords into the ground. The
general ordered them beheaded. Strangely enough, as soon as their heads touched
the ground, the two swords turned into flowers the
shape of a sword. In Latin, "gladiolus" means a short
sword. Da Lat's gladiolus has several colors ranging from white, yellow,
to purple. However, the most abundant is red and the most valued is the same
red as Bordeaux wine. Da Lat sells its gladioli throughout the entire
country, especially during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year (January-February). The
Vietnamese believe it symbolizes promise and love.
The pansy
The pansy is popular in Da Lat not only because it
adapts well to the local climate, but it adds to the romanticism that locals
hold dear to their hearts. The flower has been grown in Da Lat since the French
colonial days. Young sweethearts give each other the flower to express their
warm feelings, just as its French name "pensee" suggests. The pansies
are grown widely, especially around villas which bear its name such as Pensee
1, Pensee 2 and Pensee 6.
The Do Quyen flower
Do Quyen flower is grown in gardens or pots. It
doesn't shed its leaves. Its flower grows at the far end of the branch and has
3cm long petals. Da Lat has four varieties of Do Quyen: white, pink, red and
orange. The most numerous are pink. Most of the Do Quyen varieties sold at the
market are imported from overseas. However, the red one is native to Lang Biang
Mountains.
Wild sunflowers
Wild sunflowers grow abundantly along Road No. 20,
the passes of Bao Loc and Prenn and in valleys around the town of Da Lat. The
flowers also grow plentifully in other provinces of the Central Highlands on
the western side of the Truong Son Range, such as Kontum, Gia Lai and Daklak.
They are thus considered the typical wild flower of the Highlands of southern
central Viet Nam.
The wild sunflower tree is one to two meters tall.
Its flower is bright yellow and has a diameter of 10 centimeters. The tree
begins to flower toward the end of the rainy season and blossoms profusely in
the dry season. One can say the dry season has begun in the Highlands when you
see lots of wild sunflowers outside.
