Wild Orchid Island: Amami Oshima

80 species of wild orchids have been found on Amami Oshima to date. The combination of a high-temperature and high humidity climate and the complex mountainous terrain creates a perfect home for wild orchids in Amami Oshima. Amami Oshima is home to Japan’s only distribution of Liparis elliptica, Diploprora championii, Amami thrixspermum japonicum, Bulbophyllum affine, Bulbophyllum macraei (Lindl.) Reichb.fil. and many other types of epiphytic orchids adorn treetops and boulders with their unusual and mysterious blooms. The forest floor reveals Calanthe amamiana, Calanthe triplicata, Calanthe lyroglossa  and other Calanthe orchids as well as Pristiglottis rubricentra that produces gorgeous blooms and scores of other terrestrial orchids like the Acanthephippium sylhetense with its distinctly shaped bloom. More than 10 species of leafless saprophytic orchids like Eulophia zollingeri and Erythrorchis altissima (Blume) Blume grow in the diverse world of wild orchids coloring Amami Oshima.