The Telegraphreports that a Japenese company has succeeded in the once thought impossible task of creating a blue rose.
The blooms are genetically modified and have been implanted with a gene that simulates the synthesis of blue pigment in pansies.
The flowers, which were displayed at the International Flower Expo Tokyo, will go on sale commercially next Autumn.
Megumi Mitsunaga, a spokeswoman for IFEX, said: "This is the first time that these blue roses have been put on display in public.
"They are attracting lots of attention here because they are so unusual."
The Mail Online has a couple other photographs of the blue roses in this news story. Suntory - the company that genetically engineered the roses - released this brief history and timeline of the blue roses. They plan to begin selling them in 2009.
The rose boasts a long history, with horticulturalists developing tens of thousands of varieties in an extensive palette including red, white, pink, and yellow. This palette has never included blue because rose does not have the blue pigment, and past attempts to breed this color rose have gone nowhere. With so many disappointments, the term blue rose has become synonymous with the impossible - until 2004, when Suntory and Florigene biotechnology proved successful in developing the "impossible" blue rose. In the process of pursuing the blue rose, Suntory and Florigene also created Moondust, the world's first blue carnation.
1990 Suntory launches joint venture with Australian company Florigene Ltd. to focus on developing blue roses
1995 World's first blue carnations successfully developed
1997 Suntory launches sales of the first blue carnations, named Moondust, in Japan
2004 Blue roses successfully developed
2008 Blue roses granted approval under Cartagena Law
2009 Suntory launches sales of blue roses (planned)
The Telegraph 
