Perhaps any flowering of peace in the historic meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un here next week could be marked with a key feature of Singapore diplomacy - the naming of an orchid after them.

Though the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has not confirmed any move to name orchids after the two leaders, such a gesture would not be inconceivable, as other luminaries often have blooms named for them.

During Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's state visit to the White House in August 2016, he presented US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama with purple-tipped yellow blooms called the Dendrobium Barack and Michelle Obama.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's shows tiny red flecks on a bright pink background and Nelson Mandela's is a bold yellow-orange with pointed tips.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the latest to have an orchid named after him here.

The Dendrobium Narendra Modi had twisted petals of mahogany with reddish-brown sepals and deep purple tips.

Botanists, media and analysts are curious to learn if Singapore will extend its "orchid diplomacy" to Trump and North Korea's Kim, who will meet for the first time in a summit on Tuesday at the Capella Hotel at Sentosa.

Mr Nicholas Fang, director of security and global affairs at think tank the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, said the host country might well do this on the sidelines of the event, as a gesture of goodwill and friendship.

"This kind of soft diplomacy is something that is uniquely Singaporean," Mr Fang told Reuters.

"Whether it will be one orchid for each of the leaders or one that marks the joint nature of the summit, we will have to wait and see."

BOTANIC GARDENS

The special orchids are displayed in the Botanic Gardens, the only such tropical site figuring on the world heritage list of culture agency Unesco.

There are more than 200 orchids named after dignitaries that are on display at the VIP Orchid Garden.

The National Parks Board's website (NParks) said that orchid diplomacy serves as a gesture of friendship to promote goodwill between Singapore and other countries, and it plays an important role in building bilateral ties.

The Straits Times understands the MFA decides whether an orchid hybrid will be named after a particular visiting dignitary, and works with NParks to identify Singapore Botanic Gardens orchid hybrids for naming. Singapore Botanic Gardens has registered more than 630 hybrids since 1932.

"When Singapore names an orchid after a foreign leader, it is usually a hybrid orchid," said one of the staff at Woon Leng Nursery, which specialises in orchids.

"And a hybrid orchid is difficult to make - it takes at least five years. This is why it has become something rare and unique. There is just a lot of value in the process." - THE STRAITS TIMES