Orchid named after Mr Lee Kuan Yew
The late Mr Lee Kuan Yew has been hailed by National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan as Singapores Chief Gardener, for his vision and single-minded commitment to transforming the republic into a lush garden city and creating the best possible living environment for all citizens to enjoy.
The making of a garden city was a key element in Mr Lees development strategy. It differentiates us from other cities, setting a benchmark for other cities to emulate, he wrote in a blog post.
For this purpose, Mr Lee established the Garden City Action Committee so that different ministries can closely collaborate to make greenery a key part of Singapores infrastructure. He also created NParks because he believed that an agency with staff trained in horticulture, botany and other relevant fields was needed to oversee this ambitious endeavour.
To honour his efforts in turning Singapore into a green and liveable city, NParks has created an orchid hybrid named after him.
The Aranda Lee Kuan Yew is the result of cross breeding the Arachnis hookeriana and Vanda Golden Moon. The former is a sun-loving orchid native to Singapore that produces long-lasting scorpion-shaped blossoms, while the latter is a large-flowered Hawaiian hybrid containing the genes of orchids from Borneo, Thailand and the Philippines.
It produces flower sprays that bear up to 10 flowers each, with each bloom measuring about 9.5 cm to 10.5 cm across. The sepals and petals are bright greenish golden yellow with light tessellations and a tinge of white at the base. Each bloom is complemented by a contrasting light brown waxy lip, said Mr Khaw.
Aranda Lee Kuan Yew has just flowered and will remain in flower for the next two to three weeks. This new hybrid also matches the orchid hybrid that was named after Mrs Lee, Vanda Kwa Geok Choo, he added.
Image: Aranda Lee Kuan Yew. (Source: NParks)
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Singapore Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
More from PropertyGuru:
Developers show strong interest for Little India site
Thailand's property sector to grow by 5%
Investor issues warning: Do not invest in North Dakota Developments
City fringes attract more London buyers
