Taiwan’s outlying Orchid Island has successfully rehabilitated its native species of butterfly orchid, or Phalaenopsis Aphrodite, the Council of Agriculture said Aug. 23.
Under an initiative of the Taitung County Government, the COA’s Taitung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station has made an effort over the past three years in selecting and breeding over 1,200 seedlings of the orchid, and then releasing them back into the wild.
“Like the indigenous peoples of Taiwan, the island’s native species of orchid were its earliest dwellers,” said Su Bing-duo, a COA official based in Taitung.
However, the species had become nearly extinct after decades of tourism and human development on the small island, he said. “The aim of this project is to restore the forgotten past for the plant.”
Compared with the many butterfly orchid subtypes commonly seen, the native species only comes in white and has much smaller petals, Su said, adding that the colorful hybrids often borrow from species imported from Europe, Japan and other Asian countries.
“Once the flowers are successfully restored, they can very well become a tourist draw for Orchid Island,” Su added.
Taiwan is known for its horticultural expertise in cross-breeding butterfly orchids, with several varieties winning numerous awards worldwide.
According to COA statistics, international demand for butterfly orchids remained strong during the global recession, with export value of the flowers growing 31.7 percent over the past year to exceed US$82 million.
Orchid Island lies 83 kilometers off the southeast coast of Taiwan and is inhabited primarily by the indigenous Tao people. (HZW)
Write to Kwangyin Liu at kwangyin.liu@mail.gio.gov.tw