Vanda Miss Joaquim (Papilionanthe Miss Joaquim - Orchid)
Vanda Miss Joaquim, the orchid known by its namesake, was hybridised by Agnes Joaquim, a second generation Singapore-born Armenian. The scientific name as of 2019 is Papilionanthe Miss Joaquim, as both parent species are now placed in the genus Papilionanthe. It is also known as the Princess Aloha Orchid.
On 15th April 1981, the Vanda Miss Joaquim was chosen as Singapore’s National Flower — for its resilience and year-round blooming quality — to represent the country’s uniqueness and hybrid culture. Singapore is the only country to have a hybrid as its National Flower and the Vanda Miss Joaquim is also the first registered plant hybrid from Singapore. It was first recognised as a hybrid in April 1893, by Henry Ridley, scientific director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, who examined it and sent a description to The Gardeners' Chronicle in Britain, writing: 'A few years ago Miss Joaquim, a lady residing in Singapore, well known for her success as a horticulturist, succeeded in crossing Vanda hookeriana Rchb. f., and V. teres, two plants cultivated in almost every garden in Singapore.’
Vanda Miss Joaquim is a cross between the Burmese Vanda teres (now called Papilionanthe teres — the pod parent) and the Malayan Vanda hookeriana (now called Papilionanthe hookeriana — the pollen parent).
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Specifications:
Paper
100% Cotton based, 320g, Acid-free, No optical brighteners.
Printed Area
A3, 297mm x 420mm – Approximately 246mm x 311mm
About the Collection
The Garden of Miss Joaquim Collection: Illustrated Botanical Prints
Agnes Joaquim was a Singapore-born Armenian who created what would become Singapore’s National Flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim (scientific name: Papilionanthe Miss Joaquim), in 1893. The artificial hybrid was recognised by the first director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, botanist Henry Ridley.
Agnes, the first woman in the world to create a hybrid orchid, was a well-known and successful horticulturist, garnering 70 horticultural awards from 1881 to 1899. The Garden of Miss Joaquim Collection of botanical prints commemorates her horticultural legacy and complements her story told in the book Agnes and Her Amazing Orchid.
In presenting Agnes’s award-winning plants in the illustrated collection, we looked at the newspaper records of the times, but they were of no use because they used common name descriptions of the plants, such as ‘rose’ and ‘durian’. So we turned to the Singapore Botanic Gardens and collaborated with a botanist to identify the likely species. To complete Agnes’s story, the collection includes two additional images: of Vanda Miss Joaquim’s parents, Papilionanthe teres (pod parent) and Papilionanthe hookeriana (pollen parent) — formerly in the genus Vanda — both of which may have been present in her award-winning floral bouquets or cut flowers. Waiwai Hove, a talented and respected botanical illustrator, was chosen to produce the prints.
*Disclaimer: Representative only based on subject. Not species definitive.
About the Illustrator
Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Waiwai Hove developed a love for nature from a young age. Growing up surrounded by rich tropical flora and nurtured by her mother, a keen gardener, Waiwai has always held a special place for plants in her childhood memories. She holds a diploma in botanical illustration from the Society of Botanical Artists (UK), graduating in 2013 with a distinction and the highest marks in the history of the course.
She has since worked for the Singapore Botanic Gardens, where highlights include illustrations for ‘30 Heritage Trees’ and more recently ‘15 Gingers’. Four of Waiwai’s ginger paintings were subsequently used for a series of stamps issued by Singapore Post in 2018. Since 2019, Waiwai has begun working on the cover illustrations of 14 volumes of The Flora of Singapore, to be published over the next few years. Her works are in numerous private collections and can also be found in publications by the National Parks Board and in the Shirley Sherwood Collection in Kew Gardens, UK.