Fascinated by the 'royal flowers' competing to show off their beauty in the Hue Imperial Palace
Visiting Hue this season, in addition to admiring the ancient temples, mausoleums or poetic rivers, tourists have the opportunity to discover the extremely rare plant blooming in the middle of the magnificent Royal Palace, known as the "royal flower".
Báo Gia Lai•15/04/2025
Many tourists are surprised by the flower that creates a special highlight for the ancient capital of Hue.
VIDEO: Admire the magnificent "Royal Flower" in Hue Imperial Palace. Every year, in late spring and early summer, in Hue, there is a unique tree species that competes to show off its bright, noble, and elegant purple roses. That is the parasol flower, known as the "royal flower", commonly grown in the Imperial City - Hue Royal Palace and some parks along the Perfume River, Nguyen Dynasty tombs... Bright pink and purple flowers blooming on the roofs of ancient palaces bring visitors experiences and memories of the golden age of the ancient capital. The book Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi once wrote about the parasol tree: "All the provinces near the mountains have it. During the reign of Minh Mang, it was brought from Guangdong to be planted on both sides of the Can Chanh Palace (Hue Imperial City - PV). The soldiers were also sent to bring leaves to the mountains to search everywhere, and when they found them, they planted them on the corners of the palace."
The Parasol tree, also known as the bronze tree, has long been a famous tree for its nobility and elegance, and is one of the unique symbolic images in East Asian culture. This is not only a rare tree but also represents royalty, and is considered a sacred symbol of the royal court. According to Eastern legend, the parasol tree is associated with the image of the phoenix's residence. This is a bird that symbolizes good luck and nobility. The ancients considered the tree to be a gentleman, wise and noble. The parasol tree is also one of the nine flowering plants that King Minh Mang had engraved on the Nine Tripod Cauldrons (now a world cultural heritage) symbolizing royalty. During his lifetime, the king also had parasol trees planted in his palaces. Coming to Hue these days, it is not difficult for tourists to find and admire many parasol trees blooming with deep purple flowers behind Thai Hoa Palace (Hue Imperial City).
Parasol trees bloom in the area of Ta and Huu Vu houses (Hue Imperial City). Visitors can also enjoy the scenery of Huong River and admire the blooming parasol flowers in the area along Huong River in Thuong Bac Park, Phu Van Lau, Tu Tuong or some tombs of kings Minh Mang and Tu Duc. At Hue Imperial City - a check-in spot not to be missed during the blooming season of parasol trees, visitors can admire the beauty of the royal flower while capturing memorable moments through the lens. Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh (71 years old, a tourist from Hanoi) exclaimed: “The blooming parasol tree creates a special highlight for the Hue Imperial City. It is in harmony with the scenery here, bringing a peaceful and interesting feeling”. Meanwhile, tourist Pham Hang (from Lao Cai) was surprised: “Seeing the parasol tree blooming, I feel the unique highlight of the Hue Imperial City. It inspired me to take photos and videos to save beautiful memories”. According to botanist Do Xuan Cam (Hue), in terms of classification, the Hue parasol tree is not much different from the Chinese parasol tree, only different in flowering and fruiting season. The Hue parasol tree belongs to the genus Firmiana, a variant of the parasol tree, with the notable feature that the male flowers form a slightly different inflorescence, the entire flower axis and calyx are covered with purple hairs. Therefore, when the flowers bloom, the whole tree is dyed a purple-pink color like cherry trees, which looks very beautiful. In biologically mature trees, the flowers bloom after the leaves have completely fallen, the whole tree only has flowers, unlike the parasol trees growing in Northern Vietnam and Southern China, which have yellow and white-yellow flowers. According to the Hue Monuments Conservation Center, the Hue parasol trees have now been successfully propagated and have been unique gifts for a number of cultural heritage sites in the country.
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