Flora of Nansei-shoto

Pinus luchuensis, commonly called Luchu pine, Ryukyu pine, or Okinawa pine, is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae endemic to, and locally abundant in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. It was once threatened by habitat loss in the wild, where it can be found growing in small stands near windy ocean shores. Having been harvested widely since the Second World War, the remaining stands are no longer commercially viable, except when cultivated for ornamental use.

Quercus miyagii is a species of oak native to the Ryukyu Islands. It is placed in subgenus Cerris, section Cyclobalanopsis. A tree typically 12 metres (39 feet) tall, its acorns are consumed by the freshwater crabs Geothelphusa grandiovata and Candidiopotamon okinawense, which gather them and store them in their burrows.

Asarum senkakuinsulare is a species of Asarum found in Nansei-shoto (Senkaku Islands, Uotsuri-jima).

Asarum monodoriflorum, also known by the common name Monodora-kan-aoi, is a low-growing, herbaceous perennial plant. It is critically endangered.

Acer amamiense (also known as Amami maple) is a species of maple in the Sapindaceae family. It is native to Amami-Oshihma, in southern Japan.

Viola utchinensis (オキナワスミレ, Okinawa sumire) is a species of flowering plant in the family Violaceae.

Viburnum suspensum, commonly called Sandankwa viburnum, is a compact, perennial shrub, native to Japan. It grows up to 3.7 m in height. The coarse leaves are dark green and densely cover the shrub. They are oval with serrated edges about 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) wide and are held oppositely on rough textured, dark brown stems. Small tubular flowers are borne on the ends of new branches in the spring, and sporadically appear in the summer. They are white to pale pink, followed by small red berries in the fall that attract wildlife.

Satakentia liukiuensis (satake palm, yaeyama-yashi [Japanese ヤエヤマヤシ], satakentia palm, yaeyama palm), is a species of palm tree. They are endemic to Ishigaki Island and Iriomote Island in the Yaeyama Islands, the south-westernmost of the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. It is the only species in the genus Satakentia. The genus and the species were both circumscribed by Harold 'Hal' Emery Moore in Principes vol.13 on page 5 in 1969. The genus name of Satakentia is in honour of Toshihiko Satake (1910–1998), who was a Japanese factory owner (the 2nd President of Satake Corporation), producer of

Ilex dimorphophylla, the Okinawa holly, is a holly species endemic to Amami Ōshima of the Ryukyu Islands. It is compact shrub of up to 6 feet in height, with dense green leaves with spines towards the ends, and red berries. It is cultivated as a hedge in Europe and North America.

Deutzia yaeyamensis (ヤエヤマヒメウツギ, Yaeyama hime-utsugi) is a species of flowering plant in the family Hydrangeaceae that is endemic to Iriomote in the Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.

Oxygyne shinzatoi is a flowering plant that is endemic to Okaniwa Island in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. It blooms in September and October and is critically endangered due to logging.

Citrus ryukyuensis, also known as the tanibuta (Okinawan: タニブター, romanized: tanibutā, lit. 'big seed'), is a newly characterized wild citrus species native to the Ryukyus and adjacent islands, most closely related to the mainland mandarin orange, C. reticulata. As with other citrus, it is a member of the Rutaceae family. The Ryukyu and mainland species have diverged for more than 2 million years, and unlike the mainland mandarin, the Ryukyu mandarin reproduces sexually. Its hybridization with the mainland species has given rise to the unique mandarin hybrids of the islands.

Carex tenuior is a perennial sedge of the Cyperaceae family that is native to the Ryukyu Islands south of Japan.

Acer insulare is a species of maple. It is a small tree native to the islands of Amami Ōshima and Tokunoshima in the northern Ryukyu Islands. It grows in forest edges in hilly and mountainous areas.

Asimitellaria amamiana (アマミチャルメルソウ, Amami-charumerusō) is a species of flowering plant in the family Saxifragaceae that is endemic to Amami Ōshima in the Amami Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

Gastrodia amamiana is a species of mycoheterotrophic orchid in the family Orchidaceae found in Amami-Oshima and Tokunoshima islands, in Japan. The species was first described in 2019, when Kenji Suetsugu of the Kobe University together with independent scientists Hidekazu Morita, Yohei Tashiro, Chiyoko Hara and Kazuki Yamamuro, came across the flower during a flora survey of the islands’ evergreen forests. The species is cleistogamous, and bears fruit without opening its flower.

Carex tamakii is a perennial sedge of the Cyperaceae family that is native to the Ryukyu Islands south of Japan.

Pinus amamiana (Amami pine, Yakushima white pine) is a species of pine. It is a native of southern Japan, on the islands of Yakushima and Tanegashima south of Kyūshū. It has also been grown horticulturally in Japanese parks. This pine can grow to a height of 25 m with a trunk diameter of up to 1 m. The needles grow in bundles of five and the cones are 5–8 cm in length. This tree is known in Japanese as amami-goyōmatsu, amami-goyō, and yakutane-goyō.

Camellia sasanqua, with common name sasanqua camellia, is a species of Camellia native to southern Japan (Kyushu, Ryukyu Islands and Shikoku). It is usually found growing up to an altitude of 900 m (3,000 ft). Growing to 5 m (16 ft) tall, this evergreen shrub has leaves that are broad and elliptic, 3–7 centimetres (1.2–2.8 in) long and 1.2–3 centimetres (0.5–1.2 in) broad, with finely serrated margins. The flowers are 5–7 centimetres (2.0–2.8 in) in diameter, with 5 to 8 white to dark pink petals.

Lithocarpus edulis is a species of flowering plant in the family Fagaceae. It is sometimes referred to by the common name Japanese stone oak and is native to Japan and the Ryukyu Islands. It is an evergreen tree growing up to 15 metres tall. The nuts are edible for people but taste bitter. The nuts contain tannins, however soaking them in water removes them. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant.

Tricyrtis formosana, the toad lily, is an East Asian species of herbaceous plant in the lily family. It is native to Taiwan and to Nansei-shoto (also known as the Ryukyu Islands, part of Japan). The Latin specific epithet formosana refers to the former name of Taiwan, Formosa.

Hydrangea involucrata is a species of flowering plant in the family Hydrangeaceae, native to Japan and Taiwan. It is a deciduous shrub growing to 1 m (3 ft) tall by 2 m (7 ft) broad, with oval leaves and clusters of blue or pink flowers in late summer. The Latin involucrata means "with a ring of bracts surrounding several flowers", referring to the fringe of sterile florets. Hydrangea involucrata is cultivated as a garden plant, and has produced several cultivars.

Alnus sieboldiana (オオバヤシャブシ in Japanese) is an alder species found on the islands of Honshu, Shikoku, and Suwanosejima in Japan. A. sieboldiana contains ellagitannins including alnusiin, tellimagrandin I, pedunculagin, casuarinin, casuariin and 2,3-O-(S)-hexahydroxydiphenoyl-D-glucose. The Latin specific epithet sieboldiana refers to German physician and botanist Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796–1866).

Suzukia is a genus of plants in the family Lamiaceae, first described in 1930. It contains two known species, native to Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands (part of Japan). Species Suzukia luchuensis Kudô - Lü Tao Island (also called Green Island) of Taiwan, Nansei-shoto (called the Ryukyu Islands) of Japan Suzukia shikikunensis Kudô - Taiwan

Vaccinium wrightii is a species of Vaccinium native to Japan and Taiwan.

Rubus sieboldii, the Molucca raspberry, is a flowering plant in the genus Rubus. The species is native to Japan, including the Ryukyu Islands. The shrubs prefer low wetland areas, with very good sun exposure, though the plants can tolerate moderate shade.

Prunus jamasakura, the Japanese mountain cherry, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae that is said to be endemic to Japan. However, it is also said to be native to Korea, and to China.

Perillula is a genus of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, first described in 1875. It contains only one known species, Perillula reptans, endemic to Japan (including the Ryukyu Islands).

Eupatorium luchuense is a plant species in the family Asteraceae found in Taiwan.

Cyrtandra yaeyamae is a species of flowering plant in the family Gesneriaceae, native to Iriomote Island in Japan, and Batan Island in the Philippines. It is very similar in appearance to Cyrtandra cumingii.