Five years of tireless work in the greenhouse by the Singapore botanic gardens has led to the propagation of an orchid to celebrate the illustrious visit of David Cameron, but it has all ended in a minor diplomatic disaster.
The beautiful orchid named Papilionanda David Cameron is less Tory blue and more Ukip purple, and might best be rechristened Papilionanda Nigel Farage.
Cameron, on a day visit to Singapore on Wednesday, went to visit the orchid at the botanical gardens and put a tag bearing his name on the flower to polite applause at a short ceremony.
Smiling gamely, Cameron said: “I have had to name lots of things, but I have never named a flower before.” He then stared at the flower some more before admitting the petals were a Ukipian “darker purple”.
Even worse, Cameron has pledged to take a cutting from the flower and plant it in the Downing Street garden, meaning he will have a daily reminder of Farage, Douglas Carswell, Mark Reckless and the agonies Ukip has caused every time he takes a stroll through his gardens with visiting dignitaries.
Downing Street tried to ignore the evidence, saying the flower “is described as a robust and free flowering Vandaceous orchid hybrid. The sepals and petals are a shade of blue.”
The botanical gardens begged to differ, saying: “The flower will produce strong, upright flowering sprays that bear up to 10 large and attractive sprays. The sepals and petals are a delightful bluish purple with each petal being complemented by a large and purple prominent dark and purple lip.”
The naming of an orchid is a traditional honour given to visiting dignitaries at the national orchid garden. In line with this tradition, the orchid will be named Papilionanda David Cameron – the strain of orchid (Papilionanda) followed by the name of the prime minister.
The flower will join other orchids in the VIP orchid garden named after prominent visitors and heads of state, including Paravanda Nelson Mandela, Papilionanda William Catherine and Dendrobium Margaret Thatcher.
The prime minister’s visit to the Singapore botanic gardens comes just three weeks after the gardens were awarded Unesco world heritage status – the first site in Singapore to gain the status, the third botanic gardens worldwide to do so and the only tropical botanic garden on the list.
Founded in 1859, the botanic gardens showcases the best of tropical flora set. The gardens have strong links with Royal botanic gardens, Kew, in London – which supported the successful bid for world heritage status and has ties dating back to the mid-19th century. At any one time there are more than 1,000 species and 2,000 orchids in the gardens.
