Thistlelike Asian plant with large orange-yellow flowers. It is widely grown for the oil from its seeds, which is used in cooking, margarine, and paints and varnishes; the leftovers are used as cattle feed. (Carthamus tinctorius, family Compositae.)
Blue symbolizes the ocean. The stars represent the ten main islands. The red stripe stands for the road to progress. Effective date: 25 September 1992.