PUTRAJAYA: A new hybrid orchid named ‘Dendrobium Dr Wan Azizah’ was introduced at the opening ceremony of Orchid Putrajaya 2023 in the Botanical Garden here today, in honour of the Prime Minister’s wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Dr Wan Ismail.
Putrajaya Corporation (PPj) communications director, Norzita Abdul Razak said in a statement during the opening that the new orchid hybrid has been registered with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), London.
“This new Dendrobium has been produced by crossbreeding the Dendrobium Penang Little Magic as the female parent with Dendrobium Seah Koko as the male parent. The new orchid hybrid produces flowers with a brown background and five curly sepals with a reddish-brown labellum with white in the middle.
“The flower cuttings last for more than two weeks, and this hybrid is highly suitable for use as exhibition and decorative flowers due to the unique curled shape and frequent flowering,“ she said, adding that a single flower stem can produce 15 to 20 flower buds, capable of lasting for over a month on the plant.
Orchid Putrajaya 2023, which runs for seven days starting today, is an exhibition of various types of orchids specifically for flower enthusiasts in the country and aims to attract 100,000 visitors, she said, adding that it aimed to introduce and showcase unique, rare, and special orchid collections and species found in Malaysia throughout the event.
She added that visitors can also get a closer look at more than 20 types of VIP orchids – including Papilionanda Sultan Idris Shah, Holttumara Tuanku Zara, Renanthera Kalsom, and Phalaenopsis Do Bru Queen Saleha – showcased in the closed Orchid Gallery, which includes orchids named after royalty and prominent figures.
PPj is offering free admission to encourage visitors to come to the event during the school holidays. –Bernama
