Eulophia pulchra

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Gonzo orchid
Eulophia pulchra Orchi 134.jpg
Eulophia pulchra in the Hanover Botanic Garden
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Genus: Eulophia
Species:
E. pulchra
Binomial name
Eulophia pulchra
Synonyms [1]
List
    • Eulophidium pulchrum(Thouars) Summerh.
    • Graphorkis pulchra(Thouars) Kuntze
    • Limodorum pulchrumThouars]]
    • Lissochilus pulcher(Thouars) H.Perrier nom. illeg.
    • Oeceoclades pulchra(Thouars) P.J.Cribb & M.A.Clem.
    • Eulophia ambaxiana J.J.Sm.
    • Eulophia coccifera Frapp. ex Cordem.
    • Eulophia dahliana Kraenzl. nom. illeg.
    • Eulophia emarginata Blume nom. illeg.
    • Eulophia guamensis Ames
    • Eulophia macrostachya Lindl.
    • Eulophia novoebudaeKraenzl.
    • Eulophia papuana F.M.Bailey nom. illeg.
    • Eulophia pelorica D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.
    • Eulophia pulchra var. actinomorpha W.M.Lin, Kuo Huang & T.P.Lin
    • Eulophia pulchra var. pelorica(D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.) T.P.Lin
    • Eulophia rouxiiKraenzl.
    • Eulophia silvatica Schltr.
    • Eulophia striata Rolfe
    • Eulophidium silvaticum(Schltr.) Summerh.
    • Graphorkis bisdahlianaKuntze
    • Graphorkis blumeanaKuntze
    • Graphorkis calographisThouars
    • Graphorkis macrostachya(Lindl.) Kuntze
    • Oeceoclades pulchra var. pelorica(D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.) T.P.Lin

Eulophia pulchra, commonly known as the gonzo orchid, [2] is a plant in the orchid family and is native to areas from Tanzania and Mozambique to the Western Pacific Ocean. It is a terrestrial orchid with crowded, above-ground pseudobulbs, two or three leaves and pale yellowish green flowers with dull purple or red markings. It grows in plant litter in rainforests.

Contents

Description

Eulophia pulchra is a terrestrial herb with fleshy, crowded, above-ground pseudobulbs 80–150 mm (3–6 in) long and 15–20 mm (0.6–0.8 in) wide. There are two or three dark green leaves 150–300 mm (6–10 in) long and 60–100 mm (2–4 in) wide with three main veins. Between six and twenty pale greenish yellow flowers with dull purple or reddish markings, 10–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long are borne on a flowering stem 300–800 mm (10–30 in) long. The sepals are 10–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long, about 3 mm (0.1 in) wide and the petals are 9–11 mm (0.35–0.43 in) long, about 4 mm (0.2 in) wide. The labellum is white, more or less circular, 10–16 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long, 11–16 mm (0.4–0.6 in) wide and is sometimes lobed. Flowering occurs between April and June in Australia, between October and December in China and December to February in Africa. The species in Australia is reported to be self-pollinating and the flowers to barely open. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Taxonomy and naming

The gonzo orchid was first formally described in 1822 by Louis-Marie Aubert du Petit-Thouars who gave it the name Limodorum pulchrum. The description was published in Histoire particuliere des plantes Orchidees recueillies sur les trois iles Australes D'Afrique. [6] [7] In 1840, John Lindley changed the name to Eulophia pulchra. [8] The specific epithet (pulchra) is a Latin word meaning “beautiful", "pretty", "fine" or "lovely". [9]

A study of the molecular phylogeny of the subtribe Eulophiinae published in 2014 considered that this species was more closely allied with the genus Oeceoclades, but the move has not been accepted by Plants of the World Online and the name Oeceoclades pulchra var. pelorica is regarded as a synonym. [10] [1]

Distribution and habitat

Eulophia pulchra grows in leaf litter in rainforests. It occurs in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, India, Taiwan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, New Guinea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, the Mascarene Islands, tropical north Queensland and some islands in the western Pacific Ocean. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Bulbophyllum</i> Genus of orchids

Bulbophyllum is a genus of mostly epiphytic and lithophytic orchids in the family Orchidaceae. It is the largest genus in the orchid family and one of the largest genera of flowering plants with more than 2,000 species, exceeded in number only by Astragalus. These orchids are found in diverse habitats throughout most of the warmer parts of the world including Africa, southern Asia, Latin America, the West Indies, and various islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Orchids in this genus have thread-like or fibrous roots that creep over the surface of trees or rocks or hang from branches. The stem is divided into a rhizome and a pseudobulb, a feature that distinguished this genus from Dendrobium. There is usually only a single leaf at the top of the pseudobulb and from one to many flowers are arranged along an unbranched flowering stem that arises from the base of the pseudobulb. Several attempts have been made to separate Bulbophyllum into smaller genera, but most have not been accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.

<i>Eulophia</i> Genus of orchids

Eulophia, commonly known as corduroy orchids, is a genus of about two hundred species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Most Eulophia orchids are terrestrial but some are deciduous while others are evergreen. They either have an underground rhizome or pseudobulbs on the surface and those species with leaves have them on the end of a fleshy stem. The flowers are arranged on a thin flowering spike, the flowers having sepals which are larger than the petals. The genus is widely distributed but most species are found in Africa and Asia, usually growing in shady places with grass or shrubs in forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis-Marie Aubert du Petit-Thouars</span> French botanist

Louis-Marie Aubert du Petit-Thouars was an eminent French botanist known for his work collecting and describing orchids from the three islands of Madagascar, Mauritius and Réunion. The standard author abbreviation Thouars is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.

Bulbophyllum lamingtonense, commonly known as the cream rope orchid, is a species of epiphytic or lithophytic orchid with well-spaced pseudobulbs and brown bracts arranged along the stems. Each pseudobulb has a single, fleshy, channelled leaf and a single cream-coloured or white flower with yellow tips. It grows on trees and rocks near cliffs and the edge of rainforest near the eastern border between New South Wales and Queensland.

<i>Bulbophyllum longiflorum</i> Species of orchid

Bulbophyllum longiflorum, commonly known as the pale umbrella orchid, is a species of epiphytic or lithophytic orchid. It has a creeping rhizome, widely spaced, dark green pseudobulbs with a single large, fleshy leaf, and flowers spreading in a semicircular umbel, resembling one-half of an umbrella. The flowers are canoe-shaped, greenish cream-coloured to yellowish with purple dots. It has a wide distribution and is found in parts of Africa, on islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and northern Australia.

Bulbophyllum minutissimum, commonly known as the red bead orchid or grain-of-wheat orchid, is a species of epiphytic or lithophytic orchid with small, flattened, reddish or green pseudobulbs, scale-like leaves and small whitish to reddish flowers with broad dar red stripes. It grows on trees and rocks, mostly in swamps and near streams in eastern Australia.

<i>Bulbophyllum wolfei</i> Species of orchid

Bulbophyllum wolfei, commonly known as the fleshy snake orchid, is a species of epiphytic or lithophytic orchid with thin, creeping rhizomes, and flattened pseudobulbs each with a single thick, fleshy, dark green leaf and a single cream-coloured flower with dark red stripes. It mostly grows on rainforest trees in tropical North Queensland.

<i>Geodorum</i> Genus of orchids

Geodorum, commonly known as shepherds' crooks or 地宝兰属 , is a genus of eight species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are deciduous, terrestrial herbs with underground pseudobulbs, broad, pleated leaves and small to medium-sized, tube-shaped or bell-shaped flowers on a flowering stem with a drooping end. Species in this genus are found in southern Japan, tropical Asia, Australia and islands of the southwest Pacific Ocean.

<i>Oeceoclades</i> Genus of orchids

Oeceoclades, collectively known as the monk orchids, is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It is related to Eulophia and like that genus is mostly terrestrial in habit. A few species extend into very arid environments, unusual for an orchid.

<i>Phaius tankervilleae</i> Species of orchid

Phaius tankervilleae, commonly known as the greater swamp-orchid, swamp lily, swamp orchid, nun's-hood orchid, nun's orchid, veiled orchid, Lady Tankerville's swamp orchid or 鹤顶兰 , is a species of orchid native to areas from Asia to islands in the Pacific Ocean. It has large, pleated leaves and tall flowering stems bearing up to twenty five white, brown, mauve and yellow flowers. It was named for Lady Tankerville who was the first person to make the orchid flower successfully in England. It was the first tropical orchid to flower in England.

<i>Geodorum densiflorum</i> Species of orchid

Geodorum densiflorum, commonly known as pink nodding orchid or 地宝兰 , is a plant in the orchid family and is native to areas from tropical Asia to eastern Australia and some Pacific Islands. It is a terrestrial orchid with broad, pleated, dark green to yellowish leaves and up to and twenty pale pink flowers with dark red veins on the labellum. It grows in wetter habitats including rainforest, woodlands, grasslands and swamps.

Oeceoclades flavescens is a terrestrial orchid species in the genus Oeceoclades that is endemic to northeastern Madagascar. It was first described by the French botanists Jean Marie Bosser and Philippe Morat in 2001. The type specimen was collected in 1954 from the wet undergrowth of a coastal forest near Maroantsetra; it is the only known collection of this species. The specific epithet flavescens refers to the pale yellow flowers.

Oeceoclades furcata is a terrestrial orchid species in the genus Oeceoclades that is endemic to northwestern Madagascar, where it grows in sandy soils. It was first described by the French botanists Jean Marie Bosser and Philippe Morat in 2001. The type specimen was collected in 1943 by the French botanist Raymond Decary from the Soalala District; this is the only known specimen of the species. The specific epithet furcata refers to the distinctive forked floral spur.

Oeceoclades humbertii is a terrestrial orchid species in the genus Oeceoclades that is endemic to southeastern Madagascar, where it grows in xerophilous bush at altitudes from 500 to 600 m. It was first described by the French botanist Joseph Marie Henry Alfred Perrier de la Bâthie in 1939 as Lissochilus humbertii and moved to the genus Eulophia in 1975 by Friedhelm Reinhold Butzin. It was last transferred to the genus Oeceoclades in 2001 by Jean Marie Bosser and Philippe Morat. The type specimen was collected from the left bank of the Manambolo valley in the Mandrare River basin in either December 1933 or January 1934 when it was recorded as flowering by its collector Jean-Henri Humbert for whom the specific epithet humbertii honors. The small pseudobulbs are conical and heteroblastic. Oeceoclades humbertii is distinguished from all other Oeceoclades by its completely green flowers. It has only been collected twice including the type specimen; the other specimen was collected by Philippe Morat in 1973 from the Onilahy valley in the Ankazoabo gorges north of Betioky.

Oeceoclades longebracteata is a species of terrestrial orchid in the genus Oeceoclades that is endemic to southwestern and south-central Madagascar. It was first described by the French botanists Jean Marie Bosser and Philippe Morat in 2001. The type specimen was collected in 1970 by Jean Marie Bosser from dry forest undergrowth near Tsaramasao, 20 km (12 mi) south of Sakaraha. The specific epithet longebracteata refers to the long bracts found along the inflorescence.

Oeceoclades peyrotii is a species of terrestrial orchid in the genus Oeceoclades that is endemic to southwestern Madagascar. It was first described by the French botanists Jean Marie Bosser and Philippe Morat in 2001. The type specimen was collected in 1974 by Bosser and Morat from the woods near Ankazoabo, but it has also been found 40 km (25 mi) south of Sakaraha, near Mahaboboka, and near Morombe. The specific epithet peyrotii was given to this species in honor of Dr. Jean-Pierre Peyrot whose observations and collections have led to a better understanding of Malagasy orchids.

Liparis petricola, commonly known as the mountain sprite orchid, is a plant in the orchid family and is endemic to Queensland. It is a terrestrial orchid with two or three egg-shaped leaves and between three and fifteen deep reddish purple flowers with a green column. It grows in rainforest in tropical far North Queensland.

<i>Eulophia venosa</i> Species of orchid

Eulophia venosa, commonly known as the pointed corduroy orchid, is a plant in the orchid family and is native to India, parts of Southeast Asia as well as New Guinea and northern Australia. It is a deciduous, terrestrial orchid with one large and one small leaf and between six and twenty pale green or yellowish flowers with purple markings. It grows in rainforest and grassy forests.

Eulophia bicallosa, commonly known as the green corduroy orchid, is a plant in the orchid family and is native to areas from tropical Asia to northern Australia. It is a terrestrial orchid with a single narrow leaf and between ten and twenty pale green or cream-coloured flowers with purplish markings. It grows in rainforest and woodland.

<i>Eulophia zollingeri</i> Species of orchid

Eulophila zollingeri, commonly known as the carrion orchid or 无叶美冠兰 , is a plant in the orchid family and is native to areas from tropical and subtropical Asia to Queensland. It is a leafless, brownish terrestrial orchid with up to forty reddish brown, sharply scented flowers with a dark red and yellow labellum. It grows in decaying wood in and near rainforests.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Eulophia pulchra". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 359. ISBN   1877069124.
  3. 1 2 "Eulophia pulchra". Flora of China. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Eulophia pulchra". African Orchids. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Eulophia pulchra". Flora of Zimbabwe. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  6. "Limodorum pulchrum". APNI. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  7. Petit-Thouars, Louis-Marie (1822). Histoire particuliere des plantes Orchidees recueillies sur les trois iles Australes D'Afrique. Paris. p. 43. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  8. "Eulophia pulchra". APNI. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  9. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 132.
  10. Martos, F., S. D. Johnson, C. I. Peter, and B. Bytebier. 2014. A molecular phylogeny reveals paraphyly of the large genus Eulophia (Orchidaceae): A case for the reinstatement of Orthochilus. Taxon 63: 9-23.