[Ocean Expo Park] Extremely Rare Exhibition! Blooming Wild Orchid "Imoneyagara" That Coexists With Mushrooms Is Now on Display

Tropical Dream Center (Churashima Botanical Garden) is displaying a blooming plant of "Imoneyagara" (Eulophia zollingeri), a mycoheterotrophic plant belonging to the orchid family, for a limited time. This is an extremely rare exhibition case in Japan.

This plant originates from a population growing in the natural forests of Okinawa Island and was handed over for the purpose of protection and conservation with the cooperation of the Okinawa Churashima Foundation. The foundation has conducted repeated ecological surveys and cultivation tests, advancing planting methods and management/cultivation that take symbiotic fungi into consideration. This valuable blooming plant, realized through such accumulated research, will be exhibited for the first time at the Tropical Dream Center.

[Imoneyagara]

<Family> Orchidaceae (Orchid family)

<Scientific Name> Eulophia zollingeri

Imoneyagara is a unique plant that does not spread its leaves to photosynthesize like common plants, but is a "mycoheterotrophic plant" that obtains nutrients through a symbiotic relationship with underground fungi. It grows in the state of a tuber (an organ where the stem thickens and stores nutrients) in the ground, and when the flowering season arrives, the flower stalk appears, blooming and bearing fruit. It is known as a plant that is difficult to breed, maintain long-term, and exhibit in botanical gardens, and the public viewing of a blooming plant is an extremely rare case in Japan. Currently, blooming has begun in some plants, and it is expected that other plants will also bloom in sequence in the future. It is a valuable opportunity to observe up close its unique ecology of suddenly appearing from the ground and its mysterious floral appearance.

[Best Time to See] Until around early June, 2026 (Reiwa 8)

[Location] Tropical Dream Center (Churashima Botanical Garden) Yanbaru Gallery

State of Imoneyagara blooming (*Wild plant, reference photo) Photographer: Atsushi Abe (Okinawa Churashima Foundation)

Ocean Expo Park

A national park utilizing the former site of the Okinawa Ocean Expo. You can have a moving experience of "Sun, Flowers, and Sea" in a diverse group of facilities that inherit the spirit of the Expo. In particular, the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium where you can encounter the whole sea of Okinawa, the Oceanic Culture Museum where you can touch the lives and culture of people living with the sea, and the Tropical Dream Center where you can feel the life force of grand nature, which is the foundation of the sea and people, through ancient ruins and tropical plants, are the world's top 3 spots that you should definitely not miss. Use the "Churaumi" (beautiful sea) as an entrance to your interest and experience the eternal time and culture that spreads beyond it.

Tropical Dream Center (Churashima Botanical Garden) ~360° Tropical Experience~

Adjacent to the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, the "Tropical Dream Center (Churashima Botanical Garden)" is Japan's one-and-only botanical garden where architecture resembling ancient ruins and diverse tropical plants are in harmony. With the catchphrase "360° Tropical Experience," it constantly exhibits more than 2,000 orchids, as well as tropical flowering trees, fruit trees, and freshwater fish. A fantastic world that can be enjoyed with the five senses spreads out. The spectacular view from the observation tower and cafes are also fulfilling, offering an unforgettable time in a tropical paradise that will move the hearts of adults and children alike.