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Radio Leicester is no shrinking violet
Staff
at ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio Leicester are blooming with pride following the news
that a listener has grown a new flower and named it after the station.
Jim
Ellis, an expert in growing streptocarpus
has won prizes for his plants at the country's top gardening shows
and has just developed a new hybrid of the flower and registered
its name as Radio Leicester.
Jim
says: "It's in honour of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio Leicester's 35th year on
the air, as this brand new flower was born around the station's
birthday last November.
"It's
taken until now to get it registered but there is now a plant called
Streptocarpus hybridicus Radio Leicester.
"It's
unique as there is no other flower quite like it, that's why it's
been registered as a brand new variety."
Liam
McCarthy, Managing Editor, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio Leicester, adds: "We're
delighted that Jim has grown a flower for us.
"I'm
sure weÂ’re the first ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Local Radio station to have a flower
named after them!
"Hopefully,
it will be seen and sold at nurseries and garden centres everywhere."
Jim
appeared on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio Leicester's Breakfast Show yesterday (Thursday
10 April) to discuss the new flower which he hopes to take to the
Royal Show later in the year.
Notes
to Editors
Streptocarpus
is a close relative of the Saintpaulia (African violet) and a member
of the same Gesneriad family.
The
native habitat of the Streptocarpus genus is the southern African
continent and Madagascar.
Like
the African violet, modern Streptocarpus hybrids have come a long
way from their species ancestors.
Unlike
violets, however, more intensive, serious hybridizing has only occurred
in the recent past.
Jim
Ellis is a retired headmaster and lives in Rothley.
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