Ashkhen Hovakimian (Agnes Joaquim) (b. 7 April 1854, Singapore - d. 2 July 1899, Singapore) was a

Singaporean Singaporeans are the citizens and nationals of the sovereign island city-state of Singapore. Singapore is home to a people of a variety of ethno-racial-religious origins, with the city-state itself being a multi-racial, multi-cultural, m ...

Armenian who bred Singapore's first hybridised orchid hybrid, ''Vanda'' 'Miss Joaquim'. Joaquim was inducted into the

Singapore Women's Hall of Fame The Singapore Women's Hall of Fame is a virtual hall of fame that honors and documents the lives of historically significant women in Singapore. The hall is the creation of the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations (SCWO), and grew out of an ...

in 2015.

Early life

Hovakimian was the eldest daughter and second child of Parsick (Basil) Joaquim, an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

merchant and commercial agent, and Urelia Joaquim. Agnes was an avid

gardener A gardener is someone who practices gardening, either professionally or as a hobby. Description A gardener is any person involved in gardening, arguably the oldest occupation, from the hobbyist in a residential garden, the home-owner suppleme ...

as was her mother. Besides her interest in gardening, Agnes was also an active member of the

Armenian Church Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

and a skilled embroiderer.

Singapore's national flower

Agnes Joaquim won prizes at annual flower shows and famously won the prize for the rarest orchid at the 1899 annual flower show. The first prize was for a hybrid that was named after her, ''Vanda'' 'Miss Joaquim'. Already suffering from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

at the time, she died three months after receiving this prize. In 1947, ''Vanda'' 'Miss Joaquim' was chosen as the most fitting emblem for the nascent Progressive Party. In 1957 it was chosen as the crest for the Malayan Orchid Society. But in April 1981, came the ultimate accolade. From a field of forty contenders, Vanda Miss Joaquim was selected as the

national flower In a number of countries, plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas. Some countries have a country-wide floral emblem; others in addition have symbols representing subdivisions. Different processes have been used t ...

of Singapore. In

Tanjong Pagar Tanjong Pagar ( alternatively spelled ''Tanjung Pagar'') is a historic district located within the Central Business District of Singapore, straddling the Outram Planning Area and the Downtown Core under the Urban Redevelopment Authority's urba ...

, the ''Vanda Miss Joaquim Pavilion'' garden marks the site of Joaquim's former residence on the no longer extant Narcis Street, where the orchid was first bred. The pavilion and associated garden opened on 14 April 2002. A short distance away is the Vanda Miss Joaquim Park, located on Yan Kit Road, which "commemorates the founder" of the national flower, and the orchid itself.

Family

Agnes Joaquim's siblings were well known in Singapore. Narcis Street was named after her eldest brother Nerses (Narcis, born 2 December 1852). Her brothers, Joe (Joaquim, born 1 April 1856), Seth (born 11 September 1866) and John (born 17 June 1858) were well-known barristers. Joe was a founder of Braddell and Joaquim, a legal company, before founding his own firm of Joaquim Brothers. Two brothers, Arathoon (2 July 1864), followed by Simon (5 December 1867), served as Deputy Registrar of the Hackney Carriages Department. Josephine, Agnes Joaquim's grandniece, also has an orchid named after her, the ''Vanda'' 'Josephine' (also known as Vanda Miss Joaquim 'Josephine'). Hovakimian's maternal grandfather, Isaiah Zachariah, was one of the members of Singapore's first Chamber of Commerce which met in 1837.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joaquim, Agnes 1854 births 1899 deaths Singaporean people of Armenian descent Floriculturists Armenian botanists People from Singapore Singaporean botanists Embroiderers People from British Malaya