Flor de la Cantuta

Also known as Cantua buxifolia, Qantu, Qantus or Qantuta.

Flor de la Cantuta is Peru’s current national flower, carrying plenty of meaning towards the country’s cultural identity. The branchy plant can grow up to 3 meters tall, with striking pink/red, yellow, white and violet flowers. The flowers have an unmistakable elongated form with petals sprouting wide just towards the end. The plant has been used to make baskets with the thin strong branches or used therapeutically for cough, eye inflammation or veterinary use. The plant has carried historical meaning throughout many years in the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes. Today, it can be found growing in Cajamarca, Áncash, Apurímac, Matucana Cerro de Pasco, Cuzco, Huánuco, and Puno.

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