Hybrid: ‘Dendrobium Elizabeth’ being displayed at Eden Hall, the official residence of the British High Commissioner in Singapore. — AFP
ELIZABETH is majestic, hardy and “very fashionable”, said a top Singapore flower curator – referring not to the late monarch, but to an orchid named after the queen when she visited the former colony.
After Queen Elizabeth II’s death last week, the city-state’s Botanic Gardens loaned a towering sprig of Dendrobium Elizabeth to the British high commissioner’s residence, to be displayed alongside pictures of the monarch.
The orchid hybrid, with twisted Dresden-yellow petals and a uranium-green lip, was named in honour of the queen when she visited Singapore in 1972, said Whang Lay Keng, curator at Singapore’s National Orchid Garden.
“Dendrobium Elizabeth is a majestic, robust and resilient plant,” she said.
“It’s kind of like how Queen Elizabeth carried herself.”
Flowering twice a year, the Dendrobium Elizabeth was bred from orchids originating from Singapore and Papua New Guinea, and carries around 40 blooms per plant.
Orchid-mad Singapore boasts the delicate, colourful blooms as their national flower, and the city-state often christens new hybrids after visiting dignitaries as part of its diplomatic charm offensive.
The tradition took root in 1957 during British colonial rule – which spanned more than 140 years – when an orchid variety was named after the wife of London’s high commissioner to Singapore at the time.
Queen Elizabeth first made a state visit to Singapore in 1972, followed by two more trips in 1989 and 2006.
“During the 1970s, the colour yellow-green was very popular, so naturally we wanted to select something that was fashionable and very interesting,” Whang said, adding that “yellow is a colour of royalty”.
But the tropical lowland orchid also has very distinct South-East Asian traits.
It is a “sun-loving plant that thrives in a moist and humid climate, where sunlight and warmth are important for its growth”, the orchid curator said. — AFP
