Tropical flowers have historically made up a significant percentage of cut flower imports. Most Popular Tropicals Orchid and anthurium sales far outstrip those of other tropical cut flowers. This would also hold true with heliconia, although promotion and advertising will be important to overcome the consumer perception of a short vase life for this flower.
Western orchids are fairly new to Japan.
Until the 1970s, orchids were collected for the decorative value of their foliage, roots, and pseudo bulbs. Thailand exported 102 million stems of orchids to Japan in 1993, for an 80 percent share of the market. The number two supplier is Singapore, shipping 29 million stems, part of which are shipments collected from Malaysia and Indonesia for export to Japan. Malaysia directly ships about 3 million stems. Whereas more than 80 percent of consumption of Dendrobium phalaenopsis and vandas comes from imports, cattleya, moth orchids, Lady Slipper orchids, Odontodarossum, and Miltonias are currently being supplied from domestic production.