JAKARTA: Sri Lankan Ambassador to Indonesia and ASEAN, Dharsana M. Perera planted a na tree, the Sri Lankan national tree, at Bogor Botanical Gardens on 2 July to mark the 65th anniversary of Indonesia-Sri Lanka diplomatic relations.
Perera said the na tree, also known as Sri Lankan ironwood, was special to the Sri Lankan people. For several centuries, na tree has been used as a traditional herbal plant and its wood has been widely used to construct temples and bridges. The tree’s flowers are also used in religious rituals in Sri Lanka.
“Na tree is a rare plant in Sri Lanka,” said Perera, adding that na tree had been officiated as the Sri Lankan national tree in 1986.
The Sri Lankan ironwood had been brought in directly from the Royal Botanical Gardens Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
“We hope the na tree can become a symbol of long-term friendship and good relations between Indonesian and the Sri Lankan people, and can help expand and deepen relations between Peradeniya and Bogor Botanical Gardens,” said Ambassador Perera.
Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) deputy chairman for biodiversity sciences Enny Sudarmonowati mentioned that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had wished for stronger partnership between Indonesia and Sri Lanka in his state visit to Colombo, Sri Lanka, in January.
“We expect support from Sri Lanka, especially the Peradeniya Royal Botanic Gardens, in the effort to achieve UNESCO World Heritage Site status for the Bogor Botanical Gardens,” said Enny.(The Jakarta Post).
