The nation’s dancing-lady orchids have long been favored by Japanese flower enthusiasts, but a new orchid variety called the “honey angel” is beginning to win the hearts of Japanese consumers and could be a new export star for local farmers.
Orchids account for 78 percent of Taiwan’s total flower exports and the dancing-lady orchid species, more formally known as Oncidium Gower Ramsey, is the main variety grown for export.
About 21 million flowers of the species, or 90 percent of total exported shipments, are sent to Japan every year, according to Council of Agriculture (COA) figures, but the dancing lady may one day face a challenge for supremacy from a young, more romantic upstart.
Dancing-lady orchids, also known as dancing-doll orchids, are generally yellow with chestnut- colored stripes and look like a girl wearing a ruffled skirt.
The honey angel variety is also part of the Oncidium genus, but does not have the chestnut stripes and appears pure yellow to the naked eye. When seen under artificial light, however, it has a romantic fluorescent green aura, hence its nickname “honey angel,” said Chen Wen-chin (陳文懃), director-general of the Taiwan-based Chinese Development Association of Oncidium Production and Marketing.
About 200,000 honey angels were exported to Japan last year, and Chen predicted the total will soar to 2 million next year.
He said he bought 1,000 potted “honey angels” from Japan five years ago when the variety was relatively unknown in Taiwan, and then started selling them to Japan during the winter at triple the price of the dancing-ladies.
Drawn by the high unit price, more Taiwanese farmers began cultivating “honey angels” and found the flower to be heat and transportation resistant and a perfect fit for Taiwan’s warm and tropical weather, Chen said.
Once cut, the flower can last for up to three weeks, a week longer than the Gower Ramsey variety, making it a favorite in Japan.
Chen said Pingtung County has become the center for honey angel planting because of its excellent climatic conditions during the winter and spring, when the flower is in especially short supply in Japan.
The council said it is also planning to promote the honey angel orchid in China by leading a promotional delegation of orchid farmers to several major Chinese cities, including Tianjin, Beijing and Shanghai, in December.
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