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Oct. 27, 2014

Singapore captures heart of star with orchid named after her

Lawrence Wong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Second Minister for Ministry of Communications and Information, presents a bouquet of flowers to winner Serena Williams as Emeritus Senior Minister Gok Chok Tong and tennis legend look on during the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore trophy presentation at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Oct. 26, 2014.

By Jalelah Abu Baker

SINGAPORE - Women's tennis star Serena Williams took home a trophy and more than $2 million for her win over Romanian Simona Halep in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Finals in Singapore on Sunday, but an orchid named after her really captured her heart.

1 The orchid hybrid bears

purple and white-coloured The Dendrobium Pramot x Burana flowers in line with the WTA's Charming was colours, and it blooms named after throughout the year. singles winner Serena Williams This hybrid has a It is a hybrid between striking purple lip, Dendrobium Pramot and offset by the pale petals, some with Burana Charming. Doubles a blush of light winners from purple at the tip. and The flared petals from also had the suggest energy and speed, and orchid honour. the parentage makes it likely The three women are the these will be long lasting flowers. next sports celebrities celebrated this way in Singapore, after golfer Annika Sorenstam, the world's top female golfer at the time, took part in the Lexus Cup here in 2006.

The Singapore Tourism Board said that the flowers were named after them to echo WTA's ideal of expanding women's roles in sport and society.

Orchid christening goes a long way, with the first named in 1956 after Lady Anne Black, the wife of a former governor of Singapore.

The nearest you can get to some celebrities, dignitaries and visiting heads of states is probably at the National Orchid Garden at the Singapore Botanical Gardens.

Others who have had hybrid orchids named after include Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, Britain's first female prime minister Margaret Thatcher, Singaporean singer- songwriter Stefanie Sun, renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan.

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