Three unique hybrid orchids developed by the Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station won four prizes at an international orchid show in Tainan for their exotic appearance and fragrance.
The three winners, hybrids of the foxtail orchid and the moth orchid, brought out the best of each flower using technology that Taiwan’s top competitor in the field, the Netherlands, does not have.
The moth orchid is treasured for its beauty and is Taiwan’s most exported orchid, but Weng I-szu (翁一司), an assistant research fellow at the research station, said that it generally lacks fragrance.
Photo: CNA, courtesty of the Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station
The few breeds of moth orchid that are fragrant have small petals and cannot satisfy the commercial requirement of at least 10 flowers per stem, Weng said.
The research station decided to introduce the genes of the highly fragrant foxtail orchid into the moth orchid to develop the hybrids combining the best of each.
The results earned honors at the Taiwan International Orchid Show, which runs until Monday next week.
The Kdares Perfume Dancer, a crossbreed that can bear at least 10 flowers per stem, won an overall silver medal and the top prize in the “Other Orchids” category (Group D) because of its stunning appearance and strong fragrance.
The white-flowered Kdares Perfume Girl and the Kdares Perfume Ballet, with a yellow leaf and red spot, both won third prize in Group D for their beautiful colors, elegant look and fragrance.
Sung Pin-hui (宋品慧), another assistant research fellow at the station, said that some domestic orchid traders have confidence in the new species’ market potential, believing that they could sell for NT$10,000 per pot.
Exporters are looking forward to the station transferring the technology to private interests, seeing it as a way to enhance the international competitiveness of Taiwan’s orchids, she said.
The nation exports about US$100 million in orchids each year, mostly moth orchids, Sung said.
Half of the exports go to the US and about 20 to 30 percent go to Japan, while 10 percent go to Europe and Australia, Sung said.
The research station has developed almost 70 new species through hybridization and embryo rescue technologies, including the Kdares Orange Girl, Kdares Perfume Angel, Kdares Perfume Beauty and Amenopsis Kaohsiung Magic.
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