Understory Economy Products

Known as the “king of mushrooms,” shiitake is one of the most common edible fungi and is highly valued for its nutritional content. The ideal cultivation environment is broadleaf forests with approximately 70% canopy density and high humidity. The flavor of shiitake varies depending on the tree species used.

• Cultivation Area: 0.02 hectares per hectare of forest
• Facilities: Support racks, bricks and stones, permeable mulching mats, shade nets, and water storage tanks
• Other Requirements: Proof of purchase must be kept for mushroom spawn and bottles; logs must have felling records or proof of purchase

In Taiwan, log-cultivated wood ear mushrooms are mainly auricularia polytricha. Wood ear is another common edible fungus with cultivation requirements similar to shiitake. It thrives under 70% canopy density in moist, shaded forest environments.

• Cultivation Area: 0.02 hectares per hectare of forest.
• Facilities: Support racks, bricks and stones, permeable mulching mats, shade nets, and water storage tanks.
• Other Requirements: Proof of purchase must be kept for mushroom spawn and bottles; logs must have felling records or proof of purchase.

This plant grows best under low light and high humidity in forests with 60 to 90% canopy density. Slightly acidic soil with a pH between 3.5 and 5.0 is most suitable.

• Cultivation Area: 0.1 hectares per hectare, or 0.02 hectares per hectare if intercropped with log-cultivated shiitake or wood ear mushrooms
• Facilities: Baskets or cultivation trays, water storage tanks

Using the forest as a permanent apiary site yields products such as forest honey, pollen, and beeswax. The flavor of forest honey is closely tied to its nectar sources. In mixed-species forests, different trees bloom throughout the year, giving forest honey a range of distinctive seasonal flavors.

• Cultivation Area: 0.05 hectares per hectare of forest.
• Facilities: Beehives and other essential non-permanent structures for beekeeping
• Notes: Apiaries must be located at least 100 meters from residential areas, communities, or villages, and at least 10 to 20 meters from roads

A native evergreen small tree that can grow up to 20 meters tall, with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of up to 30 centimeters. It is found at elevations of 400 to 1,600 meters in cloud-covered forests where canopy density exceeds 80%.

• Cultivation Area: Up to 1,111 trees per hectare, with a maximum area of 2 hectares.
• Plant Management: To preserve the biodiversity of Taiwan camellia, both planting sites and seedling sources are restricted to their native regions: the “Meiyuan” cultivar in central Taiwan (Miaoli, Taichung, Nantou, Yunlin, and Changhua); the “Zhuluo” cultivar in Chiayi and Tainan; the “Liugui” strain in Kaohsiung and Pingtung; and the “Yongkang” cultivar in Hualien and Taitung.

Also called “goat nipple,” this plant grows to about 1 to 2 meters in height, and all parts of it can be used. It is commonly found throughout Taiwan in lowland broadleaf forests below 800 meters, especially in well-ventilated, moist understories with 40 to 70% canopy density.

• Cultivation Area: Grown in root-control containers or air pots, with the lower 10–15 cm buried in soil to retain moisture. Optimal density is 1,500 plants per hectare.
• Facilities: Root-control containers or air pots, water storage tanks, protective fencing against wildlife.
• Plant Management: Harvest is optimal after 3 to 5 years of growth.

Also known in Chinese as Daqing or Shanlan, this perennial herb can grow to over 1 meter in height. It thrives in shady, humid habitats with canopy density greater than 80%. Strobilanthes cusia is a key raw material for traditional natural indigo dyeing.

• Cultivation Area: 0.1 to 0.3 hectares per hectare.
• Facilities: Shade nets.
• Plant Management: Propagation is best by cuttings, at 33 to 40 plants per square meter.

An edible fungus commonly found in lowland forests across Taiwan. It thrives in high-humidity environments under 40 to 80% canopy density in coniferous, broadleaf, bamboo, or mixed forests.

• Cultivation Area: 0.2 hectares per hectare, evenly distributed under the canopy.
• Facilities: Water storage tanks.
• Plant Management: Planted along the rows of upper-story trees in the contour direction, with ridges formed between the trees, keeping a minimum distance of 0.5 meters from the trunks.

Also known as Seven-Leaf Ginseng and praised as “Southern Ginseng,” this perennial climbing and creeping vine grows in moist, shaded forests with 70 to 95% canopy density across Taiwan’s low- to mid-elevation mountains. In Japan, Gynostemma is used to make a sweet tea widely consumed for its health benefits.

• Cultivation Area: 0.1 hectares per hectare.
• Facilities: Baskets or cultivation trays.
• Plant Management: Harvestable year-round, though late winter to early spring is ideal. Young plants require protection against animals and insects.

A beautiful orchid found throughout Taiwan, this perennial herb is valued for both ornamental and medicinal purposes. It occurs from low to high elevations and is well suited for planting along forest edges, with excellent shade tolerance.

• Cultivation Area: 0.1 hectares per hectare, with 16 to 36 plants per square meter. Plants can be grown in root-control bags or air pots, with the lower 10 - 15 centimeters embedded in the soil. Cultivation may be carried out in rotation by designated plots according to harvest schedules, or intercropped with other understory crops.
• Facilities: Plug tray, root-control containers or air pots
• Plant Management: The underground rhizome is the primary part harvested from this plant. After about eight months of cultivation, the best harvest season is in winter, during the withering stage of stems and leaves.