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 British 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&nbsp;orchid&nbsp;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 told AFP.

"It's kind of like how Queen Elizabeth carried herself."

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.

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.

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 Southeast 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.

Among the more than 200 orchid hybrids named after visiting leaders and celebrities—displayed in the VIP section of the city'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.

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 British colony.

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 British 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 told AFP. "It's kind of like how Queen Elizabeth carried herself." 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. 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. 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 Southeast 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. Among the more than 200 orchid hybrids named after visiting leaders and celebrities—displayed in the VIP section of the city'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.

A majestic Singapore orchid named in honour of Queen Elizabeth

More than 5,000 orchids will be on display at the royal botanic gardens Kew in London from this weekend.

Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in London displays 5,000 blooms

Orchids are not often called ugly, but that is how the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London, described a new species of the normally vibrant and delicate flower discovered in the forests of Madagascar.

Gastrodia agnicellus, one of 156 plants and fungal species named by Kew scientists and their partners around the world in 2020, has been crowned "the ugliest orchid in the world".

"The 11 mm flowers of this orchid are small, brown and rather ugly," Kew said in its list of the top 10 discoveries of the year. The orchid depends on fungi for nutrition and has no leaves or any other photosynthetic tissue.

Although assessed as a threatened species, the plants have some protection because they are located in a national park.

Among the other discoveries officially named this year were six new species of webcap toadstool mushrooms in the United Kingdom and a strange shrub encountered in southern Namibia in 2010.

Botanist Wessel Swanepoel could not place the shrub in any known genus and neither could anyone else, and so Swanepoel called Kew's molecular expert Felix Forest and his team for analysis.

The result was that it was not just a new species, but a new genus and a new family, called Tiganophyton karasense.

While around 2,000 plants are named new to science annually, new families are only published around once a year.

The shrub has bizarre scaly leaves and grows in extremely hot natural salt pans, hence its name Tiganophyton, derived from the Latin 'Tigani', or 'frying pan', and 'Phyton', or 'plant'.

Martin Cheek, senior research leader at Kew, welcomed the latest natural discoveries.

"Some could provide vital income to communities while others may have the potential to be developed into a future food or medicine," he said.

But he warned: "The bleak reality facing us cannot be underplayed. With two in five plants threatened with extinction, it is a race against time to find, identify, name, and conserve plants before they disappear."

Orchids are not often called ugly, but that is how the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London, described a new species of the normally vibrant and delicate flower discovered in the forests of Madagascar.

Orchids are not often called ugly, but that is how the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London, described a new species of the normally vibrant and delicate flower discovered in the forests of Madagascar. Gastrodia agnicellus, one of 156 plants and fungal species named by Kew scientists and their partners around the world in 2020, has been crowned "the ugliest orchid in the world". "The 11 mm flowers of this orchid are small, brown and rather ugly," Kew said in its list of the top 10 discoveries of the year. The orchid depends on fungi for nutrition and has no leaves or any other photosynthetic tissue. Although assessed as a threatened species, the plants have some protection because they are located in a national park. Among the other discoveries officially named this year were six new species of webcap toadstool mushrooms in the United Kingdom and a strange shrub encountered in southern Namibia in 2010. Botanist Wessel Swanepoel could not place the shrub in any known genus and neither could anyone else, and so Swanepoel called Kew's molecular expert Felix Forest and his team for analysis. The result was that it was not just a new species, but a new genus and a new family, called Tiganophyton karasense. While around 2,000 plants are named new to science annually, new families are only published around once a year. The shrub has bizarre scaly leaves and grows in extremely hot natural salt pans, hence its name Tiganophyton, derived from the Latin 'Tigani', or 'frying pan', and 'Phyton', or 'plant'. Martin Cheek, senior research leader at Kew, welcomed the latest natural discoveries. "Some could provide vital income to communities while others may have the potential to be developed into a future food or medicine," he said. But he warned: "The bleak reality facing us cannot be underplayed. With two in five plants threatened with extinction, it is a race against time to find, identify, name, and conserve plants before they disappear."

'World's ugliest orchid' among new species named in 2020

An orchid only a botanist could love

Chinese fashion designer Zhou Li is combining fashion with function, by creating trendy silk masks embroidered with orchids, camellias and Chinese characters symbolizing good luck, as she believes there will be a long-term demand for masks to protect people's health amid ongoing concerns about the coronavirus.

Chinese designer creates fashionable masks and suits to prevent coronavirus spread

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