It's been 18 years in the making, but on Thursday, just days before Valentine's Day, South Africa finally welcomed a new bloom into its fold — the blissfully aromatic, blood-orange-coloured Mandela Rose.
The rose, that was unveiled at a function held at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg, saw celebrity gardener Keith Kirsten explaining that the idea came about at a meeting held in Alexandra township between the late statesman and himself shortly after Mandela was released from prison in 1990s.
The idea has been brewing back and forth between the family, with scientists hell-bent on creating the perfect semi-double hybrid rose in a spectacular orange vermillion hue.
Some 200 Mandela roses are currently available at the Lifestyle Garden Centre in Johannesburg, and other local retail outlets, but many more plants are expected soon.