BANGKOK, June 2 – A Thai horticultural researcher has developed a purple-hued water lily named after Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.
Pairat Songpanit, an academic in the Department of Agriculture, a renowned lotus breeder, spent five years from 2003-2007 to hybridise the Nymphaea ‘Perry’s Fire Opal’ and Brachyceras Nang Kwak Blue.
The new hybrid lotus has petals which are coloured purple at their tips while the base is white. The sepals are in hues of white mixed with green. This cross-pollinated water lily can breed naturally.
To date 20 plants have been grown and will be presented to Queen Sirikit during the celebration of her 80th birthday on Aug 12.
More plants are being grown for distribution to other agencies.
Mr Pairat has previously won awards in water lily contests domestically and internationally.
He earlier created Nymphaea ‘Siam Blue Hardy’, the world’s first Blue Hardy water lily.
