We are certainly familiar with the orchid, but did you know that besides the commonly known Vanda Miss Joaquim (Papilionanthe Miss Joaquim), there are numerous other orchid species and hybrids? 

 

Home to more than 220 native species of orchids, Singapore has seen the birth of more than 630 hybrids through the Singapore Botanic Garden’s Orchid Hybridisation Programme. Of which, many of them are named after well-known figures around the world from celebrities, politicians, and royalty.

 

With the ongoing 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, we ‘sport’-light five orchids named after athletes.

 

 

1. Dendrobium Yip Pin Xiu

 

 

Dendrobium Yip Pin Xiu is an antelope Dendrobium hybrid of Dendrobium Kathy Ong Mei Lee and Dendrobium Pink Lips. With white petals infused with magenta and a prominent bright purple lip, the flowers of this orchid are striking.

 

Yip Pin Xiu, Singapore’s first gold medal winner at the Paralympic Games, was presented this orchid named after her for her contribution to Singapore’s world standing in the international sports arena.

 

2. Dendrobium Joseph Schooling

 

Named after Singapore's first Olympics gold medallist, Joseph Schooling, this orchid is a hybrid of the Dendrobium Elizabeth and Dendrobium Strattokai.

Robust and free-flowering, the petals are yellow and slightly twisted while the sepals are greenish-yellow. They are accompanied by a prominent lip that is green with light brownish-purple tessellation.

 

This orchid was named for Schooling’s contribution to Singapore’s world standing in the international sports arena and presented to him during his visit to the Singapore Botanic Gardens in August 2017.

 

 

3. Dendrobium Serena Williams

 

 

Following Serena Williams’ win in the World Tennis Association Finals in 2014 in Singapore, this orchid was named after the famed tennis player.

Dendrobium Serena Williams is a robust and attractive hybrid of Dendrobium Charlotte Shultz and Dendrobium Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned. The elegant pink flowers are adorned with light pink stripes and each flower is complemented by a striking lip with light yellow throat.

With a total of four Olympic gold medals to her name, Serena Williams is one of the most successful tennis players of all time.

 

 

4. Dendrobium Cara Black and Sania Mirza

 

 

Named after doubles tennis players Cara Black and Sania Mirza after their win in the World Tennis Association Finals 2014 held in Singapore, this orchid produces attractive flowers that are a blend of light pink to purple hues and each flower is complemented by a striking lip with an off-white throat.

Both Cara Black and Sania Mirza have previously participated in three Olympic Games and Sania Mirza has also expressed interest in returning to the court for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

 

 

5. Holttumara Annika Sorenstam

 

 

Named after Swedish professional golfer, Annika Sorenstam, this orchid was presented to her during her visit to the inaugural Singapore Garden Festival in 2006.

A hybrid of Aranda Chark Kuan and Renanthera Zaleha, the Holttumara Annika Sorenstam bears strong, upright flowering shoots that are about 50 cm long with 10 to 15 flowers. The textured flowers are bright and regal, measuring about 10 cm across. They are an attractive pink with dark spots.

 

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will be the fourth ever Olympic Games to include golf. After more than a hundred years, golf was reintroduced into the Olympics in 2016 held in Rio de Janerio, and Annika Sorenstam was recognised as a leading ambassador towards this aim. 

 

 

National Orchid Gardens
Be enthralled by an abundance of flowers, foliage and scents at the National Orchid Garden. The Tropical Montane Orchidetum showcases the most diversity of orchids found in tropical montane forests, in a single location in Singapore.

It comprises three display houses – the Sembcorp Cool House, Tan Hoon Siang Mist House, Yuen Peng McNeice Bromeliad Collection, as well as the surrounding outdoor display areas that showcase lowland forest and stream habitats, and a Secret Ravine that emulates habitats that can be found in deep, narrow valleys of tropical mountains.

Safe Management Measures have been put in place for the safety of all visitors. Please expect waiting times of 1 to 2 hours to enter the National Orchid Garden during peak hours.

Learn more about the orchid hybridisation programme here as well as about other VIP Orchids here. 

 

Growing Orchids At Home
Can’t get enough of the beauty of the orchids? You do not need to have a big garden or yard to grow them. Advancements in orchid hybridisation over the past few decades have created hybrids that can grow well even in an apartment with a balcony or any sunny space for plants.

Learn more about growing orchids in apartments here.

 

Learning More
If you are heading to our green spaces, do the right thing and be socially responsible. Maintain a safe distance from other park goers and keep to not more than two persons in a group, with no intermixing between groups. Always wear a mask except when you are engaged in strenuous exercise or when consuming food, drink or medication.

Do check out the visitorship levels of our parks using our safe distancing portal before you head down and avoid the ones with high visitorship. Learn about some simple do’s and don’ts when visiting our Nature Reserve and Nature Parks here.

Visit NParksSG, our refreshed YouTube Channel that serves as a one-stop repository for close to 300 video resources. It also provides you a platform for existing and future digital outreach including DIY gardening and related crafts, virtual tours of our green spaces, and livestream events. 

Whether you are an amateur gardener or a seasoned horticulturist, starting a home garden or a community garden, there are plenty of useful information and guides here for your gardening hobby.

For more information about the flora and fauna found in Singapore, please visit NParks Flora and Fauna Web.

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Text by Ng Wenli

 

About the writer

Ng Wenli is an undergraduate at the Nanyang Technological University’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communications and Information. Currently in her third year of studies, she specialises in Advertising and Public Relations. During her internship at NParks, Wenli is helping to spread the message of greening Singapore by engaging different segments of the community through the educational materials she created for children as well as her articles written for NParks’ social media platforms and e-newsletter.