Samurai Orchids Fight to Survive in the Wild
In Japan, BotanyBoy describes the plight of the Samurai Orchid. Cultivated for centuries, they’re now endangered in the wild. Populations have shrunk as native habitats have been destroyed or altered by humans. Old growth forests only remain in small, disjointed pockets. They include areas around temples, shrines, rivers, and the very tops of mountain ridges. Near a shrine in Kyushu’s Fukuoka Prefecture, he and his wife found a large colony thriving on a Ginkgo Tree.
The Samurai Orchid is still popular in cultivation, demonstrated by the photo examples above. Long known as Neofinetia falcata, the species has been moved into the Vanda genus. It’s now Vanda falcata, but the previous name persists. Whatever perils it faces in the wild, many orchid lovers are keeping it safe from extinction. Read more about the Samurai Orchid’s history at Atlas Obscura. The American Orchid Society has a detailed article about them with care info.
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