Amsterdam, June 09: After appearing on the cover of 'Time' magazine, Bollywood queen Aishwarya Rai, adjudged one of the most beautiful women in the world, was honoured by the Netherlands, which today named a special variety of the tulip flower after her.

The special tulips were named 'Aishwarya Rai' after the former miss world during a press conference on the first day of the four-day International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) weekend here.

Presenting Rai with the tulips and the certificate authenticating their new name, Hans Van Driem, managing director, Netherlands board of tourism said that the tulips were a celebration of Rai's beauty.

"Herewith I give you the tulip - the symbol of the tourist destination Holland. This tulip represents all the beautiful things of Holland. This tulip will be named after one of the most beautiful women in the world - Aishwarya Rai," Van Driem intoned before sprinkling the pink tulips with champagne.

Accepting the flowers, 'Ash', who has the rare honour of being the Indian actress to appear on the Oprah Winfrey and David Letterman shows on US television, said she was "honoured and thankful" to receive the honour.

When asked why she was being bestowed the honour, Van Driem told reporters that Aishwarya was "a symbol of Indian beauty" and that "a special hue of Netherland's prized tulips was nurtured by researchers" for the occasion.