Photo / Bongbong Marcos on Facebook
“Robust and free-flowering.”
That is the description of the orchid hybrid Dendrobium Ferdinand Louise Marcos, which Singapore named after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.
The president and the first lady saw the orchid when they visited Singapore’s National Botanical Garden.
According to the Philippine News Agency, the orchid “produces semi-arching inflorescences of 50 to 70 centimeters in length that bear 20 to 30 well-arranged flowers, with each flower measuring approximately 4 centimeters in width.”
Photo / Bongbong Marcos on Facebook
It added that its “curled sepals have a white background adorned with lavender striations, while its petals are white and flushed with bluish mauve.”
The Philippine president and the first lady are the latest to be honored by Singapore’s “orchid diplomacy.” This is a practice to name orchid hybrids after visiting heads of state and other notable guests as a gesture of friendship and goodwill between the island country and other nations.
Other Filipino leaders who were honored with their own orchid hybrids are Imelda Marcos, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, and Corazon “Cory” Aquino.
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