The US has its long-list of celebrity personas while China makes do with its pandas to help it win the hearts of other nations but Singapore likes to express our love with flowers instead. Specifically, orchids!
Singapore makes it a practice to cultivate special orchid varieties and names them after visiting dignitaries, celebrities, and the occasional VIP. Orchid-naming first took root in 1957 during British colonial rule when an orchid variety was named after Anne Black, the wife of London’s high commissioner to Singapore at the time.
The tradition has continued into present day with a plethora of hybrids bearing the name of some pretty famous faces. Check out some of them here:
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Singapore, their first Asian Pacific stop, in 2012 as part of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee tour. To mark the occasion, the royal pair were presented with an orchid named after them – Vanda William Catherine.
Award-Winning Chinese Actress Zhou Xun received an orchid named after her in 2008. The actress was appointed as the first United National Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador for China on the eve of Earth Day that year and has been committed to raising awareness for the environment ever since.
In 2005, martial arts maestro Jackie Chan had an orchid hybrid named after him! The actor was among the first Chinese artists to have the honour bestowed upon him. The orchid is named Dendrobium Jackie Chan and the look of the orchid petals has been described as being similar to “the nose of the dragon”.
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Jane Goodall (pictured here with Angelina Jolie) had a new species of Dendrobium orchids named after her in 2014, in recognition of her extraordinary contributions to nature conservation and animal welfare. The flowers or her orchid species last only one day, and they smell like coconut.
Fancy bringing home Bae Yong Jun? You can if you live in Singapore. Plantlets of Dendrobium Bae Yong Jun, named after the actor in 2004 following his visit to our shores, can be found on sale at the National Orchid Garden but only seasonally.
Dendrobium Margaret Thatcher was named after Margaret Thatcher during a visit to the Singapore Botanic Gardens. This hybrid orchid’s flowers are twisted and spiky, with two horns on the top of the flower.
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US Vice-President Joe Biden and his wife Jill had an orchid named after them in 2013. The couple, who were here on a two-day visit to meet up with Singapore officials and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss maritime disputes and trade ties with Asia, were feted during a ceremony at the National Orchid Garden.
Way back in 2006, Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan was presented with a rare species of an orchid, which was named Ascocenda Shahrukh Khan. Asked how he felt having an orchid named after him, he said: “I’m just happy it wasn’t a watermelon or a mango. It’s a great honour.”
Michael Kors is the latest celebrity to have an orchid named after him. The fashion designer was honoured with a dendrobium orchid genus this week to commemorate his visit to Singapore and the opening of his flagship store at the Mandarin Gallery.
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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his wife, Yoo Soon-taek, also have orchids named in their honour at the National Orchid Garden. The couple were present at the naming ceremony for the hybrid flowers, known as Vanda Ban Ki-moon Yoo Soon-taek.