'Cathay' to bloom in Wuhan

Chinese President Xi Jinping (back, 3rd L) and his wife Peng Liyuan (front) visit a tulip exhibition, accompanied by Dutch King Willem-Alexander (back, 2nd R) and Queen Maxima (back, 1st R) , at Keukenhof in Lisse, the Netherlands, March 23, 2014. Peng was invited to christen a new strain of tulip the "Cathay". (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Wuhan Botanical Garden of Chinese Academy of Sciences is going to introduce the new strain of tulip, known as "Cathay," that was named by Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping, in the Netherlands on Sunday, Wuhan Evening News reported.

The garden has worked closely with the Dutch company that developed the new tulip strain to provide the plant's requirements. If this tulip can be planted at a large scale and meets the requirements of imports and exports of the two countries, the Wuhan Botanical Garden will purchase seed balls for planting. It is estimated that Wuhan residents will be able to watch Cathay blossom no earlier than mid-March next year.