Orchidaceae
Eulophia

Eulophia cristata (Afzel. ex Sw.) Steud.

First published in Nomencl. Bot., ed. 2, 1: 605 (1840)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Tropical Africa to Ethiopia. It is a pseudobulbous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Orchidaceae, V. S. Summerhayes. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:1. 1968

Morphology General Habit
Terrestrial herb up to 4 ft. high
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Long raceme of pink or purplish flowers darker lip.
[FWTA]

Habitat

In grassland, often seasonally burnt and in Commiphora-Albizia bushland and woodland; 1100–1700 m.

General Description

A terrestrial herb 60–130 cm. tall. Perennating organs underground, tuberous, potato-like, cylindric-ellipsoidal, 3–9 cm. long, 1.3–4 cm. diameter, whitish, in chains; roots 2 mm. diameter, white, produced all over tubers. Leaves 4–6, erect, plicate, lanceolate, acuminate, 40–70 cm. long, 0.7–3.5 cm. wide, petiolate, basal 1–3 sheathing. Inflorescence appearing before leaves, laxly 10–30-flowered; peduncle 3–8 mm. diameter, with 3–5 sheaths along length; rhachis 13–44 cm. long; bracts aristate, acuminate, 10–30 mm. long. Flowers with lilac sepals and petals, a bright dark purple lip and greenish column; pedicel and ovary 15–27 mm. long. Dorsal sepal oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, acute, 14–23 mm. long, 3–5.5 mm. wide; laterals similar but slightly larger and oblique at base. Petals elliptic, obtuse, 12.5–19 mm. long, 6.5–9.5 mm. wide. Lip 3-lobed, 12.5–22 mm. long, 10–13.5 mm. wide; side lobes erect, semicircular, recurved; mid-lobe deflexed, somewhat convex, elliptic, obtuse, crisped on margin; callus of 2 raised rounded ridges at base with 5–9 crenulate ridges in front on mid-lobe; spur slightly upcurved, conical, 2.5–5 mm. long. Column 7–7.5 mm. long; foot 1 mm. long. Fruit pendent, 30 mm. long. Fig. 96/1, p. 441.

[E-EM]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Eulophiinae: e-monocot.org

    • All Rights Reserved

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0