Vanda Miss Joaquim: Singapore's National Flower & the Legacy of Agnes & Ridley

The legacies of Agnes Joaquim (1854-1899) and Henry Ridley (1855-1956) lie in their pioneering and enduring contributions to early Singapore. This book demonstrates that both deserve important consideration in Singapore's history.

This book presents the results of intensive scientific and historical research into Singapore’s National Flower, the delicately beautiful Vanda Miss Joaqium. Documents and materials from Singapore and international colonial and modern archives revealed that Singaporean Armenian Agnes Joaqium created this flower and the very highly regarded botanist Henry Ridley, the pioneer Director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, first described it as such in 1893. Both had the proclivities to accomplish the making and popularising of this orchid. Today this orchid has achieved an honoured place as being the first man-made Vanda orchid flower in the botanical world and as the icon of a successful nation.

These six chapters and numerous illustrations -- many of which are published here for the first time-- should bring due recognition to the keen breeding efforts of Agnes Joaquim and the botanical expertise of Henry Ridley, and to Singapore as an enduring international horticultural centre.