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From the 1st of this month (October) the Dominican Republic put a new set of bills into circulation, which incorporate an image of the Bayahibe Rose, the Dominican Republic’s national flower and a rare beauty endemic to the Dominican Republic.
This new currency, which is already in circulation, consists of new notes for 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 and 2000 pesos. The image of the Bayahibe Rose can be found on every bill, immediately to the left of the metallic strip.
In addition to the inclusion of the Bayahibe Rose, the new bills also include a number of new security features, in line with international standards. These include a metallic strip, micro-impressions, text which changes when the bill is moved and watermarks.
These new bills also have a more defined color palet – to avoid confusion and help us distinguish more easily between 200 and 2,000 pesos for example.
The new bills do not replace the ones we currently have in our wallets, they will be phased in over time and the old ones will continue to be valid and used until they are completely out of circulation.
The Bayahibe Rose
Here’s some interesting facts about this beautiful flower:
1. It is endemic to the Dominican Republic, meaning that it cannot be found in any other place in the entire world.
2. It can only be found growing in the wild in Bayahibe – on “La Punta” the peninsula in the center of the town.
3. It was “discovered” in 1977 by a French botanist called Alain Henry Liogier, which is where it gets its scientific name from; Pereskia quisqueyana Alain
4. It is a bush, not a tree. The bush can grow up to 4 meters high.
5. It flowers only between March and June. The flowers are a beautiful baby pink color.
6. It’s a type of cactus.
7. The colloquial name for the Bayahibe Rose is “mata de chele” or “palo de chele”, meaning “money tree”, so called because the way the plant wraps up its seeds has the form of money.