Japanese native orchids: In the first of a two-part article on orchids in Japan, ROGIER VAN VUGT describes the many species he saw growing wild on the island of Kyushu

摘要

JAPAN, THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN, neon lights, geisha and raw fish. A land of so many contrasts, out not a country people ususally visit to see orchids. Lack of awareness is a big reason for this, at least it was for me. Japan is a unique country being not only the home of many beautiful orchids, but also a place where orchid culture has grown in complexity, as nowhere else. I have a great interest in Japanese orchids, having cultivated several Calanthe species, Ponerorchis, Neofmetia and other Japanese genera, but I never imagined visiting the country itself. That was until I met someone on the internet with whom I shared a passion for these plants. Many emails, and more than a year later, it was time to meet Tom Velardi, an English teacher from the USA, living in the city of Fukuoka on the island of Kyushu. Tom has lived there for five years and has done a lot of walking and climbing in the mountains of northern Kyushu, finding a great variety of orchids and other plants. So when I went to visit all I had to do was follow him, with my camera at the ready.