Commercially important flowers grown in Nepal -I

Carnation

Carnation (Dianthus spp) belongs to the family Caryophyllaceae. Carnations are flowers which are widely recognized by most people. It means “flower of love” or “flower of the gods”. There are approximately 300 species in the genus. They are native to the Eastern Hemisphere and are found naturally in the Mediterranean region, although modern varieties are grown both in greenhouses and in fields around the world. With such widespread commercial production available, there is no limited season of availability. Because of their long lasting qualities and fragrance, carnations are often featured in arrangements at holidays celebrated with flowers, at special occasions such as weddings and parties, and in sympathy arrangements.

There are several types of Carnations such as chabaud/margueriate, border and picotee, malmsison and perpetual flowering. But in Nepali market two types of carnation are popular, standard and spray. The demand of the carnation flower is 1,000-1,500 sticks per day. It can be cultivated around 8,000-9,000 plants in a ropani. It is estimated that there is production of 6.5 lakhs stick per annum [Gauchan et.al. (2009) <i>Current Status of Cut Flower Business in Nepal</i> Kathmandu University Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology, vol.5, no.1, pp. 87-98.]