VIPS Orchids from UK

These are some of the orchids named after VIPs from UK.

Paravanda Nelson Mandela

This orchid hybrid is named after Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa, on the occasion of his visit to the National Orchid Garden on 5th March 1997.

Singapore Botanic Garden-VIP Orchid Garden

The VIP Orchid Garden displays over 100 orchid hybrids named after famous personalities.

This is a poster of the orchid named after Laura Bush, first lady of USA. The VIP garden is very big and I could not find this orchid. And the heavy downpour on that day did not help either. I had to abandon my search.

This orchid was named after Princess Diana and it is a pity she did not get to see it. She is supposed to come to Singapore to witness the naming of the orchid but she died few months before she is due to come here.

Lecythis Ollaria (Monkey Pot)

This tree is known as Lecythis Ollaria (Monkey Pot), I could not see any of their fruits but saw many petals dropping on the ground. It looked so lovely from a distance like a white carpet.

Alex asked a good question "Why is it called Monkey Pot?".

The fruit of the tree is shaped like a pot and small enough for a monkey to use. I guess monkey are very intelligent animals, so they use the pot to "cook"...hahaha (just joking).

I did not manage to snap photo of their fruits as the flowers are just starting to drop their petals and the fruits are not fully formed yet.

Peacock Flower

Caesalpinia lutea or Yellow Peacock flower

Caesalpinia pulcherrima (Peacock flower lives up to its name with incredibly showy blossoms of orange and red. )


Reference to name of flower: http://toptropicals.com/cgi-bin/garden_catalog/cat.cgi

Calliandra emarginata (Powderpuff)

I saw this hairy looking flower( Calliandra emarginata) near the Swan Lake in Singapore Botanic Gardens. The fruits looked like berries and the flowers looked like powderpuff as what they are called.

Singapore Botanic Garden

I am just an admirer of beautiful flowers and amazing trees but I am not good with their names so dont ask me for their names (hehehe).

Most of the trees in botanical gardens are very old and have long history. This tree is amazing with so many aerial roots hanging down from tree limbs.

These red berries are a favourite food for birds.