"President Thabo Mbeki had one orchid named after him in Singapore this week...
one ... named for the former president ... Nelson Mandela, registered by the Singapore Botanic Gardens after his state visit there in 1997...
In its recent unsuccessful bid to host the 2011 World Orchid Congress, the South African Orchid Council did formally get [Desmond] Tutu's permission to name a hybrid after him.
It got similar permission from former president FW de Klerk, satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys, business magnate Cyril Ramaphosa and songstress Miriam Makeba...
According to the senior registrar in the RHS' botany department, Julian Shaw, there are about 125 000 names on the register, while unregistered crosses could bring the total number of hybrids to as many as 200 000.
He has not yet received the Singaporean application for registration of the Mbeki.
"But I do know they like to name them for heads of state and royal family members," he said.
Shaw said he receives up to 500 applications a month"
source : http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__national/&articleid=235934
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