Monstera Popularity Soars as Kaohsiung Agricultural Research Center Introduces New Variety 'Shuguang'

TAIPEI, July 7 (CNA) -- The Monstera, also known as the Swiss cheese plant, is a popular foliage plant due to its natural splits and holes, and its popularity continues to rise. The Ministry of Agriculture's Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research Center has introduced a new variety called 'Shuguang' (Dawn), which features rich leaf color variations beyond simple green, with more prominent variegation.

The Ministry of Agriculture announced in a press release today that in recent years, the trend of foliage plants has swept the globe. The increasing demand for home greening and interior design has driven rapid growth in the market for distinctive foliage plants. Among these, the Monstera, with its unique leaf shape, natural splits, and holes, has seen its popularity continuously climb in the international market due to its strong tropical style and high compatibility.

The Ministry of Agriculture stated that Monstera has not only become a design highlight in homes and commercial spaces but its leaves are also widely used as cut foliage in floral arrangements, with stable market demand and growth potential. In response to market trends, the Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research Center has actively engaged in Monstera breeding, breaking through the long-standing bottleneck of focusing primarily on green-leaf varieties. After years of research and development, they have successfully cultivated a new variety with high ornamental value and market potential, named 'Shuguang'.

Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research Center Director Luo Zheng-zong said that the birth of this new Monstera variety originated from an innovative opportunity sparked by international observation. In 2010, when researchers from the Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research Center attended the International Floriculture Trade Fair in the Netherlands, they first encountered Monsteras with variegated leaves, whose unique colors and forms were astonishing. The following year, they saw commercially displayed varieties again at the International Flower Expo in Tokyo, Japan, further clarifying its market potential and inspiring the team to invest in Monstera breeding research.

To overcome the domestic development limitations of long-term reliance on green-leaf varieties, the Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research Center partnered with the National Tsing Hua University's Institute of Nuclear Energy and Energy Research in 2012, introducing gamma-ray seed mutation technology, which successfully created diverse leaf color variations. After 10 years of systematic observation and selection, they officially applied for plant variety rights for the new Monstera variety 'Kaohsiung No. 1 - Shuguang' in 2022, and non-exclusive licensing to the industry will be completed in 2025.

Luo Zheng-zong said that 'Shuguang' features rich leaf color variations and distinct variegation, possessing both high ornamental value and potential for design applications. This can significantly enhance product differentiation and market recognition, expand diverse and innovative applications such as potted plants and cut foliage, and bring new market opportunities and application value to the domestic flower industry. (Editor: Lung Po-an) 1150707

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