Eulophia nutans Sond. 1846

Photos by Lourens Grobler ©

EARLIER

Common Name The Nodding Eulophia [refers to the older flowers drooping habit]

Flower Size

Found in Yemen, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zaire, Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, Mozambique, Madagascar and E cape Province, Lesotho, Orange Free State, Kwa-Zulu, Swaziland, Natal and Transvaal South Africa in submontane grasslands at elevations of 1000 to 2500 meters as a small to large sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial with erect, plicate, glabrous, linear, grass-like leaves always present and fully developed at time of flowering in the earlier spring and summer on a erect, fairly densely 6 to 25 flowered inflorescence.

I have kept this separate from E hians var nutans because of the very different flower form as well as the fact that this species has fully developed leaves at the time of blooming and numerous distinct papillae that are often united at the base on the crest of the lip as well as having a 1 to 2 mm long mentum, while E hians var nutans has emerging to just half developed leaves at the time of blooming and dentate, crenulate lamellae on the crest of the lip as well as the abscence or vestigal of a mentum. The species E zeyheriana is also similar but is distinguished by the half developed or better leaves at the time of blooming and the fleshy verrucose ridges on the crest of the lip and the abscence of a mentum.

Synonyms Eulophia aemula Schltr.] 1895; Eulophia amajubae Schltr. 1924; Eulophia bathiei Schltr. 1925; Eulophia buchananii Rolfe 1897; Eulophia crinita Rolfe 1897; Eulophia decurva Schltr. 1924; Eulophia ernestii Schltr. 1924; Eulophia flanaganii Bolus 1905; Eulophia galpinii Schltr. 1895; Eulophia gladioloides Rolfe 1910; Eulophia laxiflora Schltr. 1895 ; Eulophia madagascarensis Kranzel 1882; Eulophia nelsonii Rolfe 1910; Eulophia purpurascens Rolfe 1910; Eulophia triloba Rolfe 1917; Eulophia vaginata Ridl. 1885; Eulophia vleminckxiana Geerinck & Schaijes 1990; Graphorkis madagascariensis (Kraenzl.) Kuntze 1891; Graphorkis nutans (Sond.) Kuntze 1891; Graphorkis vaginata (Ridl.) Kuntze 1891; Lissochilus vaginatus H.Perrier 1941

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1B lieferung 24 1457 - 1520 Brieger 1991as E madagascarensis; Field Guide to the Orchids of Northern South Africa and Swaziland McMurty, Grobler, Grobler & Burns 2008 photos fide; Orchid Digest Vol 77 #3 2013 photo wha??; A la Recherche des Orchidees de Madagascar Hervouet 2018 photo fide;

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