The Japanese multinational of beverages Suntory has presented in Tokyo what they claim is the world's first blue rose , the holy grail of horticulturists. Achieving this milestone took nearly two decades of research.
The new flower, named Applause , has been developed using the genetic engineering techniques of the Australian biotechnology company Florigene Pty Ltd., which added the gene for the blue pepper delphinidin from petunias to the flower. The tone of the new rose, a bluish violet called "murasaki" in Japanese, is very popular among the Japanese. In the Victorian language of flowers, blue roses symbolize the achievement of the impossible .
The blue rose will be put on sale in Japan on November 3, Japanese Culture Day, for a price between 14.7 and 22 euros per unit. In the months of November and December, Suntory expects to sell about 6,000 roses, and for next year the challenge stands at 50,000 units.
The color blue itself is rare in nature. Among the most popular flowers with this hue, the Himalayan blue poppy ( Meconopsis horridula ) stands out, which only grows on the high peaks of the Asian mountain range.
