Where to find Spiranthes sinensis? The Flower Improvement Station propagates Taiwan's native orchids and mass-produces seedlings

Text / Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Station

In early spring, Taiwan's most miniature native orchid, the "lady's tresses," is quietly blooming with its delicate little flowers. Because of its health benefits and elegant form, it has been over-collected, and wild lady's tresses populations are gradually disappearing. In recent years, the Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Station has developed a tissue culture propagation technique for lady's tresses and licensed growers to mass-produce seedlings, allowing this miniature, elegant and healthful orchid to continue to reproduce.

Named for its flower spike resembling the silk ribbons of ancient times, the lady's tresses (Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames.) is a plant of the genus Spiranthes in the orchid family. Because of its small, delicate pink flowers, which grow spirally on the flower spike, extending and opening upward like a green dragon coiled around a pillar, it is quite special; its roots also resemble ginseng, and its peak flowering period falls around the Qingming Festival, hence its other names such as green dragon coiling around a pillar, green dragon embracing a pillar, coiled dragon ginseng, spring worm or Qingming grass.

Because in the natural environment lady's tresses enters a dormant period after the spring flowering season and does not grow new leaves again until autumn, lady's tresses seedlings cannot be produced during this period. However, using tissue culture technology to propagate seedlings is not restricted by season, and seedlings can be propagated and produced throughout the year, achieving the goal of year-round mass production of seedlings. This well-developed propagation technique has attracted the interest of 3 growers, who have already applied to the Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Station for technology licensing to mass-produce lady's tresses seedlings.

Through the research and development of seedling production and propagation technology and technology licensing for mass production of seedlings, we hope to let this beautiful Taiwan native orchid with health benefits, which is no longer easy to see in the fields, bring people more health, and we also hope that it can return once again to its native habitat and bloom its uniquely charming, delicate and elegant flowers!