Tropic Sunrise, an anthurium bred by the University of Hawai'i-Manoa's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, has won a blue ribbon in the Society of American Florists/2007 Outstanding Varieties Competition.

The anthurium was entered into the "Other Cut Flowers" category by Green Point Nursery, one of the state's largest anthurium growers. Seven of the 49 flowers in the category took home a blue ribbon, according to a UH news release.

Tropic Sunrise originated from a cross between two anthuriums, Anuenue and Soga Orange Obake, made by CTAHR Professor Emeritus Haruyuki Kamemoto in 1981. It was later given its name and released in 2000.

Coloration and flower size are the major attributes of Tropic Sunrise, according to the UH news release. The orange obake, or multicolored, anthurium has a large spathe and is often more than 12 inches long, with a bright orange center and green perimeter. Its stems have an average length of 30 inches. When cut, the flowers last for about 32 days. Tropic Sunrise can potentially yield up to seven flowers per stem per year, which is considered high for a large obake.

Kamemoto teamed with Heidi Kuehnle, Tessie Amore, John Kunisaki, Joanne Lichty and Janice Uchida to develop the flower.

Tropic Sunrise joins the ranks of another UH product, Lavender Lady, a 2004 Society of American Florists blue ribbon winner. Other UH varieties receiving ribbons in recent years are Tropic Fire (Red Ribbon, 2004) and Kalapana (Red Ribbon, 2005).