Locat­ed in the inte­ri­or of Yaku Island, at the meet­ing-point of the palaearc­tic and ori­en­tal biot­ic regions, Yakushi­ma exhibits a rich flo­ra, with some 1,900 species and sub­species, includ­ing ancient spec­i­mens of the sugi (Japan­ese cedar). It also con­tains a rem­nant of a warm-tem­per­ate ancient for­est that is unique in this region.