BOSSES at a Gourock garden centre are backing Scotland ahead of this summer’s European Championships by growing the world’s first plant with TARTAN leaves.

The plant, registered under it’s Latin name Tartanium Hilaria, has been secretly developed by horticulturists at Cardwell Garden Centre.

The team have been working alongside renowned Spanish gardening expert Professor Raol Di Folpays.

Professor Di Folpays said: “The different colours in the Tartanium Hilaria leaves have been created after a painstaking programme of genetic modification by Cardwell’s plant experts.

“They were able to target the four pigments and modify their biosynthetic pathways with the introduction of new genes, overexpression and silencing of specific gene segments.

“The horticulturists at Cardwell have done a wonderful job to create the world’s first tartan-coloured plant leaves.”

Greenock Telegraph: Tartan Army stalwart Hamish Husband is amazed that a plant has been grown with tartan leaves, but reckons it will score a hit with Scotland fans during the Euros this summerTartan Army stalwart Hamish Husband is amazed that a plant has been grown with tartan leaves, but reckons it will score a hit with Scotland fans during the Euros this summer (Image: Cardwell Garden Centre)

Plans are being made for Tartan Army members to take hundreds of the plants to the tournament in Germany.

Scotland play the host nation in the opening match on June 14 in Munich.

Supporters are aiming to transform the city’s famous English Garden public park into a Scottish Garden by planting the tartan foliage in its flower beds.

Hamish Husband of the West of Scotland Tartan Army added: “Having one of these plants with tartan leaves on display in your home is a great way to support our national football team competing in the Euros.

“The staff at Cardwell Garden Centre has to be congratulated on their horticultural expertise in creating the Tartanium Hilaria plant.

Greenock Telegraph: Cardwell Garden Centre’s Paul Carmichael studies a book of tartans before deciding which design to use in the next batch of Tartanium Hilaria plantsCardwell Garden Centre’s Paul Carmichael studies a book of tartans before deciding which design to use in the next batch of Tartanium Hilaria plants (Image: Cardwell Garden Centre)

“As soon as news of this amazing experiment came out, supporters from the Tartan Army came up with the idea of planting hundreds of Tartanium Hilaria in Munich’s English Garden, so for at least for the duration of the tournament it will become the Scottish Garden.”

A limited number of plants will be available to buy at Cardwell Garden Centre until midday today.

Retail general manager Paul Carmichael said: “We’ve definitely scored a winner with this amazing plant, as it’s extremely popular with the Tartan Army.

“We wanted to do something to support Scotland in the Euros and we chose the Royal Stewart tartan for the first of our plants.

"We’re now hoping to develop the science further, so that people can choose their own clan tartan on the leaves of Tartanium Hilaria.”