Yunnan Flower Research Institute crowdsources naming of new varieties

A proposal to name a new variety of yellow rose after a village official who died while serving in the line of duty has sparked discussion online in China, highlighting how plant breeding, public memory and civic values can intersect.

In a competition launched by the Flower Research Institute of the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences to name the rose variety, some netizens suggested the name "Wenxiu" in tribute to Huang Wenxiu, who died in 2019 at the age of 30 after being caught in a flash flood while returning to work during heavy rain in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Huang had served just over a year as Party secretary of Baini village. She was later honored nationally as a role model for grassroots service.

The choice of a yellow rose was deliberate: Huang means "yellow" in Chinese, making the flower's color a part of the tribute. The proposal gained wide support online and was embraced by researchers at the Yunnan academy.

"The suggestion resonated because it felt natural," said Cai Yanfei, a researcher at the academy's flower research institute. "It was not just about remembering a person but about matching a name, a color and a set of values."

"Wenxiu" has not yet been finalized as a registered variety. Cai said any decision will depend on whether the plant proves strong enough in testing to carry the symbolism. If approved, it would become the first entry in a planned series of roses designated "Heroines", launched by the academy honoring female role models.

This latest public response was triggered by the viral reaction to the naming of another flower in December when a netizen from Shandong jokingly suggested naming a pink-rimmed rose after his uncle, Liu Baohua, because the uncle "looks like a flower".

The research team agreed that "Baohua" aligned with their goal of developing domestically bred roses with a distinct Chinese identity, Cai said. The name received preliminary approval from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Dec 31 and is expected to reach the market in August.

Behind the naming discussions lies a large-scale breeding effort. Since launching its China rose breeding program at the end of 2022, the institute's team has made between 5,000 and 10,000 crossbreed combinations each year, generating more than 100,000 seeds.

Li Guangting, a plant breeder who helped develop Baohua, said moments of discovery still stand out. "Sometimes you see a flower color that didn't exist before," she said. "That's when you feel proud — not just of one plant but of the whole process."

From tens of thousands of seedlings, only a small fraction survive repeated rounds of testing for disease resistance, flower form and adaptability. For Yang Yingjie, who oversees variety selection and applications, abundance brings its own challenges.

"Every plant has its strengths,"Yang said. "Choosing which ones to register — and how to name them so the name fits the flower — is often the hardest part."

More than 2,000 plants have passed key performance trials but remain unnamed and unregistered. That depth of resources allows researchers to consider long-term naming systems, including another planned series tentatively titled "Light of the Ordinary", recognizing everyday individuals whose stories resonate with the public.

Some of the new roses have yet to bloom, and others may still fail testing.

But from Baohua to Wenxiu, the process has shown how scientific research and public participation can come together — turning plant breeding into a shared cultural expression.

Contact the writers at wangsongsong@chinadaily.com.cn