They are the stuff of legend - signifying mystery and traditionally believed to be able to grant the owner youth.
The creation of blue flowers - historically viewed as a symbol of the impossible - was masterminded by a subsidiary of Suntory, the Japanese drinks company, which has invested three billion yen in the creation of blue roses, blue carnations and other blue flowers since 1990.
Its scientists successfully pioneered implanting into the flowers the gene that produces Delphinidin, the primary plant pigment that produces a blue hue but is not found naturally in roses.
The world's first genetically modified blue roses were unveiled in the laboratory four years ago, although further research was required to make them safe to grow in nature.
Following the cultivation of test batches in the United States and America, the company will be ready to sell them from next year and aims to open up a global market for blue flowers worth an estimated 30 billion yen.
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