Orchidaceae
Eulophia

Eulophia alta (L.) Fawc. & Rendle

First published in Fl. Jamaica 1: 112 (1910)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical & Subtropical America, Tropical Africa. It is a rhizomatous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Orchidaceae, V. S. Summerhayes. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1968

Morphology General Habit
A large terrestrial herb 1–2 m. tall with white roots 1.5 mm. diameter.
Vegetative Multiplication Rhizomes
Perennating organ a fleshy elongate subterranean rhizome ± 1 cm. diameter.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 4, plicate, erect, lanceolate, acuminate, up to 120 cm. long, 5–7.5 cm. wide, long-petiolate, sheathing at base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence densely many-flowered; peduncle 8–10 mm. diameter, green, bearing 3 sheaths along length; rhachis 16–35 cm. long; bracts reflexed, linear-aristate, acuminate, 10–30(–80) mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flower not opening widely; sepals olive-green or green; lip and petals red-purple (albino variants are rare); pedicel and ovary 15–23 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Dorsal sepal oblong-lanceolate, subacute, 18–20 mm. long, 4–5 mm. wide; lateral sepals oblong or ligulate, subacute to acute, 18–22 mm. long, 4–6.5 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals oblong-ligulate, acute to obtuse, 15–19 mm. long, 3–5 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Labellum
Lip 3-lobed in apical half, saccate at base, 14–19 mm. long, 8–12 mm. wide; side lobes rounded; mid-lobe semicircular, 5–6 mm. long, 8 mm. wide, with an undulate margin; callus of 2 obliquely subquadrate flap-like ridges in middle of lip and with papillae on the central 5 viens of the mid-lobe.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Column
Column 7–10 mm. long; foot 4 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit pendent, 30 mm. long.
Habitat
Terrestrial in papyrus and other swamps and in wet grassland; 1150–1300 m.
Distribution
U4 also in tropical America
[FTEA]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 5 - 1550 m.; Amazonia, Andes, Guayana y Serranía de La Macarena, Orinoquia, Pacífico.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
Conservation
Preocupación Menor
[CPLC]

Orchidaceae, I. la Croix & P.J. Cribb. Flora Zambesiaca 11:2. 1998

Morphology General Habit
Terrestrial herb 1–2 m tall.
Vegetative Multiplication Rhizomes
Perennating organ a fleshy, subterranean rhizome c. 1 cm in diameter; roots 1.5 mm in diameter, white.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 4, up to 120 × 5–10 cm, erect, lanceolate, acuminate, plicate, with a long petiole.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence densely many-flowered; scape with 3 sheaths.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel and Ovary
Pedicel and ovary 18–20 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts 10–30 mm long, reflexed, linear, aristate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers not opening widely; sepals greenish-yellow, petals and lip reddish-brown or red-purple, occasionally white with a purple disk on the lip.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Dorsal sepal 18–20 × 4–5 mm, oblong-lanceolate, subacute; lateral sepals slightly longer and wider.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 15–19 × 3–5 mm, oblong-ligulate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Labellum
Lip 14–19 × 8–12 mm, with a saccate base, 3-lobed in the apical half; side lobes rounded, mid-lobe 5–6 × 8 mm, the edges undulate. Lip with a callus of 2 flap-like ridges in the middle, and with papillae on the 5 central veins of the mid-lobe.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Column
Column 7–10 mm long; foot 4 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit 3 cm long, pendent.
[FZ]

Habitat

Terrestrial in papyrus and other swamps and in wet grassland; 1150–1300 m.

General Description

A large terrestrial herb 1–2 m. tall with white roots 1.5 mm. diameter. Perennating organ a fleshy elongate subterranean rhizome ± 1 cm. diameter. Leaves 4, plicate, erect, lanceolate, acuminate, up to 120 cm. long, 5–7.5 cm. wide, long-petiolate, sheathing at base. Inflorescence densely many-flowered; peduncle 8–10 mm. diameter, green, bearing 3 sheaths along length; rhachis 16–35 cm. long; bracts reflexed, linear-aristate, acuminate, 10–30(–80) mm. long. Flower not opening widely; sepals olive-green or green; lip and petals red-purple (albino variants are rare); pedicel and ovary 15–23 mm. long. Dorsal sepal oblong-lanceolate, subacute, 18–20 mm. long, 4–5 mm. wide; lateral sepals oblong or ligulate, subacute to acute, 18–22 mm. long, 4–6.5 mm. wide. Petals oblong-ligulate, acute to obtuse, 15–19 mm. long, 3–5 mm. wide. Lip 3-lobed in apical half, saccate at base, 14–19 mm. long, 8–12 mm. wide; side lobes rounded; mid-lobe semicircular, 5–6 mm. long, 8 mm. wide, with an undulate margin; callus of 2 obliquely subquadrate flap-like ridges in middle of lip and with papillae on the central 5 viens of the mid-lobe. Column 7–10 mm. long; foot 4 mm. long. Fruit pendent, 30 mm. long.

[E-EM]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Amazonia, Andean, Guiana Shield, Orinoquia, Pacific. Elevation range: 5–1550 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Boyacá, Caquetá, Chocó, Cundinamarca, Meta, Valle del Cauca, Vaupés.
Habit
Herb.
Conservation
National Red List of Colombia (2021): LC.
[UPFC]

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

Morphology Leaves
Leaves lanceolate, up to 4 ft. long and 4 in. broad
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Scape
Scape up to 4 ft. high
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers numerous, green and purple.
[FWTA]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
cebolleta de palo
[UNAL]

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]

Common Names

English
Wild Coco

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Eulophiinae: e-monocot.org

    • All Rights Reserved

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

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

  • 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 Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/

  • 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0