Hardiest epiphytic orchid?

[MrHappyRotter]

Originally Posted by mremensnyder

So, does South Korea have any areas that remain mostly or completely frost free year-round (the type of climate needed to support any epiphytic orchid species I am aware of), or is Pelatantheria scolopendrifolia in a class all its own in terms of cold hardiness for epiphytic orchids?

I'm hardly an expert on this topic, but what I'm seeing online is that Pelatantheria scolopendrifolia has an extremely limited range in South Korea and there are only around 10 documented wild populations, all located in coastal areas and islands.

Checking the climate information for those areas, I'm seeing that they rarely experience temperatures below 0C (32 F), if at all. My guess is, these orchids are probably living in very well protected microclimates that offer a bit of additional protection from the most extreme cold similar to the way many of the North American hardy epiphytes do in the extreme northern parts of their ranges.

I doubt that this species is in a class of its own based on this information, but of course, as I mentioned, I'm not an expert, this is simply based on a few minutes of research.