The national flower of Malaysia is the Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), which was declared the national flower on 28 July 1960 by the Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj.

The history of the selection of the hibiscus flower began in late 1958 when the Ministry of Agriculture proposed seven types of flowers, namely:

• Hibiscus
• Ylang-ylang
• Jasmine
• Magnolia champaca
• Lotus
• Rosemary
• Spanish cherry (Tanjung Flower)

A study was conducted by the Malaysian Department of Information to select the flowers chosen as the national flower. The results of the study found that residents of the East Coast chose the hibiscus, while residents of the West Coast chose jasmine.

The government decided to choose the hibiscus as the national flower based on several criteria:

• The flower is well known
• Has an attractive color and shape
• Same name throughout the country
• Easily available throughout the country
• Not the national flower of any country at that time
  

Reference: Jabatan Penerangan Malaysia