YANGON, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar and Singaporean experts will conduct joint research on orchid at the Hukaung Valley reserve forest in Myanmar's northernmost Kachin State in April next year, forestry officials said on Thursday.

    The research will be the third of its kind after that at Naungmon in 2007 and at Phonkanyarzi Mountain in March 2009 conducted by experts from the Myanmar Horticulture Association and Horticulture Research Committee and Singapore.

    Meanwhile, experts of Myanmar and Austria have carried out research on orchid at the Phonkanyarzi Mountain lying at a height of 8,000 feet (2,424 meters) above sea level.

    Statistics show that there is a total of over 800 species of orchids in Myanmar.

    There is an orchid garden in Pyin Oo Lwin township, northern part of the country, which was inaugurated in December last year.

    Claimed as the largest in Myanmar and an international-level one, the 4.95-acre (2 hectare-) orchid garden is located in the famous National Kandawkyi Garden (NKG) in the township in Mandalay division.

    The garden showcases 304 kinds of domestic orchids as well as foreign ones imported from Australia, Vietnam, China and Thailand.

    Aimed at promoting tourism, a huge floriculture show took place at the NKG also in December last year.

    NKG was established in 1915 as a botanical garden and was later expanded in different areas reaching 177 hectares in 2000 which comprises lake, natural forest, observation tower and rose, orchid and bamboo gardens.

    Pain Oo Lwin, lying 69 kilometers east of the second largest city of Mandalay and at over 1,000 meters above sea-level, enjoys cool and pleasant weather all year round. The flower city is well known for its pine trees, eucalyptus and silver-oak abounding in town.