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The 'majestic' Singapore orchid named in honor of Queen Elizabeth

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Agence France-Presse 

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="In this photo taken on Sept. 12, 2022, Whang Lay Keng, curator at Singapore" s="" National="" Orchid="" looks="" at="" the="" Dendrobium="" Elizabeth="" orchid="" named="" after="" late="" British="" queen="" Garden="" in="" Singapore.="" is="" hardy="" and="" said="" a="" top="" Singapore="" flower="" curator="" referring="" not="" to="" but="" an="" when="" she="" visited="" former="" colony.="" Roslan="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/afp/09/13/whang-lay-kengt-singapore-s-national-orchid-garden-afp-9132022.jpg"/><figcaption>In this photo taken on Sept. 12, 2022, Whang Lay Keng, curator at Singapore&#x27;s National Orchid Garden, looks at the Dendrobium Elizabeth orchid plant, named after the late British queen Elizabeth II, at the National Orchid Garden in Singapore. Elizabeth is majestic, hardy and &quot;very fashionable&quot;, 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 British colony.<em> Roslan Rahman, AFP </em></figcaption></figure></div><p> <br/>SINGAPORE — Elizabeth is majestic, hardy and &quot;very fashionable&quot;, 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 British colony.</p><p>After Queen Elizabeth II&#x27;s death last week, the city-state&#x27;s Botanic Gardens loaned a towering sprig of Dendrobium Elizabeth to the British high commissioner&#x27;s residence, to be displayed alongside pictures of the monarch.</p><p>The orchid hybrid, with twisted Dresden-yellow petals and a uranium-green lip, was named in honor of the queen when she visited Singapore in 1972, said Whang Lay Keng, curator at Singapore&#x27;s National Orchid Garden.</p><p>&quot;Dendrobium Elizabeth is a majestic, robust and resilient plant,&quot; she told AFP.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s kind of like how Queen Elizabeth carried herself.&quot;</p><p>Flowering just twice a year, the Dendrobium Elizabeth was bred from orchids originating from Singapore and Papua New Guinea, and carries just about 40 blooms per plant. </p><p>Orchid-mad Singapore boasts the delicate, colorful blooms as their national flower, and the city-state often christens new hybrids after visiting dignitaries as part of its diplomatic charm offensive. </p><p>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&#x27;s high commissioner to Singapore at the time. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/09/13/22/tears-for-elizabeth-ii-as-coffin-rests-in-scotland">Tears for Queen Elizabeth II as coffin rests in Scotland</a></li></ul><p>Queen Elizabeth first made a state visit to Singapore in 1972, followed by 2 more trips in 1989 and 2006.</p><p>&quot;During the 1970s, the color yellow-green was very popular, so naturally we wanted to select something that was fashionable and very interesting,&quot; Whang said, adding that &quot;yellow is a color of royalty&quot;.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/08/31/22/remembering-lady-di-the-peoples-princess">Remembering Lady Di, the &#x27;people&#x27;s princess&#x27;</a></li></ul><p>But the tropical lowland orchid also has very distinct Southeast Asian traits.</p><p>It is a &quot;sun-loving plant that thrives in a moist and humid climate, where sunlight and warmth are important for its growth&quot;, the orchid curator said. </p><p>Among the more than 200 orchid hybrids named after visiting leaders and celebrities -- displayed in the VIP section of the city&#x27;s sprawling Botanic Gardens -- there is also the Dendrobium Memoria Princess Diana. The pastel-white bloom was so dubbed after the death of the princess of Wales.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/08/31/22/remembering-lady-di-the-peoples-princess">Remembering Lady Di, the &#x27;people&#x27;s princess&#x27;</a></li></ul><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse </strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2224841" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><div><br/> </div>

Dendrobium Elizabeth was named in honor of the queen when she visited Singapore in 1972. 