<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/city/top-bengaluru-stories/queen-in-bengaluru-a-1961-memory-reel-1143802.html" target="_blank">Queen in Bengaluru: A 1961 memory reel</a></strong></p>.<p>"Dendrobium Elizabeth is a majestic, robust and resilient plant," she told AFP.</p>.<p>"It's kind of like how Queen Elizabeth carried herself."</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, colourful 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's high commissioner to Singapore at the time.</p>.<p>Queen Elizabeth first made a state visit to Singapore in 1972, followed by two more trips in 1989 and 2006.</p>.<p>"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".</p>.<p>But the tropical lowland orchid also has very distinct Southeast Asian traits.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/city/top-bengaluru-stories/queen-in-bengaluru-a-1961-memory-reel-1143802.html" target="_blank">Queen in Bengaluru: A 1961 memory reel</a></strong></p>.<p>"Dendrobium Elizabeth is a majestic, robust and resilient plant," she told AFP.</p>.<p>"It's kind of like how Queen Elizabeth carried herself."</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, colourful 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's high commissioner to Singapore at the time.</p>.<p>Queen Elizabeth first made a state visit to Singapore in 1972, followed by two more trips in 1989 and 2006.</p>.<p>"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".</p>.<p>But the tropical lowland orchid also has very distinct Southeast Asian traits.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>