Eulophia thomsonii Rolfe 1897 SECTION Orthochilus

Plant and Flower in situ Tanzania Photos by Robert v. Blittersdorff and The East African Plants Website

Common Name Thomson's Eulophia [English Missionary in East Africa 1800's]

Flower Size

Found in Zaire, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia in montane grassslands at elevations of 1550 to 2380 meters as a small to medium sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial with subterranean, irregularily shaped, chain forming tubers giving rise to 1 to 2, linear, acuminate, grass-like, just starting to develop at flowering leaves that blooms in the spring on an erect, peduncle with 2 to 3 scarious bracts in the lower half, 8 to 16" [20 to 40 cm] long, densely several to many flowered inflorescence with linear-lanceolate, acuminate floral bracts.

Synonyms Orthochilus thomsonii (Rolfe) Bytebier 2014

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977 drawing/photo fide; Flora of Tropical East Africa Part 3 Cribb 1989 drawing/photo fide; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidaceae Part 2 Pope 1998 drawing fide; Genera Orchidacearum Vol 5 Epidendrodeae Part 2 Pridgeon, Cribb, Chase and Rasmussen 2009

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