*clap* *clap* *clap*

(the applause is deafening)

(the audience is listening)

Suntory finally presents: The blue rose.

Yes, we’ve known this for quite a while.

(Georg Tremmel, Illustration of Blue Rose, real Blue Carnation. Complete set at Flickr.)

Nice co-incident, that the flowers start to sell in Japan on Tuesday, November 3rd, this is a national holiday called ‘Culture Day’. Like any other good Culture Day, its purpose is to promote Culture and Art.
We will do our best to turn the “Culture Day” into a “Plant Tissue Culture Day”. I’ll keep you updates on my endevours getting the blue rose and I am seriously considering queueing the night before.

The rose is exactly the reason, why the Common Flowers Project ist called Common Flowers Project and not Common Carnations.
We were aware of the blue rose when we started ComFlow and wanted it to be so inclusive, that we can absorb new flower developments into the ComFlow fold. The nice things about roses are, that they are woody plants and therefore able to survive for years and decades, unlike the carnations, which last for 2 years at most.
Only thing left to do is find a protocol for propagating woody plants, and then it’s off to the queue. I really don’t want to miss this historic event.

Links:

Introducing “SUNTORY blue rose APPLAUSE” World’s First* Blue Roses Available at Last*With petals containing nearly 100% blue pigment

And of course, the “SUNTORY blue rose APPLAUSE” Webpage.

(from the Yomiuri Shinbun on 21. October 2009)

(English-speaking printed press with is usual and predictable 1 day gap: Daily Yomiuri on the 22nd October.)