Mr Najib and Ms Rosmah were shown around the orchid garden by the chief executive officer of Singapore's National Parks Board. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
SINGAPORE - A TALL and robust hybrid of the Dendrobium Ronald Imanuel and Dendrobium Jeffrey Tan orchids was named Dendrobium Najib Rosmah in conjunction with the visit of Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor to the National Orchid Garden at the Singapore Botanic Gardens here today.
With semi-arching flowering sprays up to 60cm long bearing up to 30 flowers each, the orchid, pollinated in March 2005, started flowering in November last year.
Each flower is about 5.5cm across with both sepals and petals gracefully twisted in light purplish brown with fine cream-coloured margins.
Mr Najib and Ms Rosmah, who are on a two-day visit to Singapore, were shown around the orchid garden by the chief executive officer of Singapore's National Parks Board.
They spent 20 minutes at the garden before leaving for the Istana for the welcoming ceremony by the Singapore government.
In a separate event later, Ms Rosmah visited the National University of Singapore (NUS) High School of Mathematics and Science.
She was accompanied by Ms Ho Ching, the wife of Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Ms Rosmah was given a briefing on the school by principal Dr Hang Kim Hoo and Director of the Education Programme Sun Chee Wah.
She spent about two hours at the school. -- BERNAMA
