Eulophia cucullata (Afzel. ex Sw.) Steud., Nomencl. Bot., ed. 2, 1: 605 (1840).
Homotypic Synonyms:
Limodorum cucullatum Afzel. ex Sw., Kongl. Vetensk. Acad. Nya Handl. 21: 243 (1800).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Lissochilus arenarius Lindl., J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot. 6: 133 (1863).
Lissochilus dilectus Rchb.f., Otia Bot. Hamburg.: 62 (1878).
Lissochilus roscheri Rchb.f., Otia Bot. Hamburg.: 62 (1878).
Lissochilus stylites Rchb.f., Otia Bot. Hamburg.: 61 (1878).
Lissochilus dilectus f. minor Rchb.f., Flora 65: 533 (1882).
Lissochilus monteiroi Rolfe in D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. 7: 83 (1897).
Eulophia arenaria (Lindl.) Bolus, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 25: 185 (1898).
Eulophia dilecta (Rchb.f.) Schltr., Westafr. Kautschuk-Exped.: 279 (1900).
Lissochilus kassnerianus Kraenzl., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 51: 391 (1914).
Lissochilus euanthus Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 53: 588 (1915).
Lissochilus amabilis Schltr., Ann. Transvaal Mus. 10: 240 (1924).
Eulophia stylites (Rchb.f.) A.D.Hawkes, Orchid Rev. 72: 27 (1964).
Eulophia kondensis Butzin, Willdenowia 7: 589 (1975).
Eulophia monteiroi (Rolfe) Butzin, Willdenowia 7: 589 (1975).
Eulophia cucullata var. dilecta (Rchb.f.) Pérez-Vera, Orchidées Côte D'Ivoire: 321 (2003).
Description:
A robust species, to l m tall, arising from an underground chain of whitish, knobby tubers. Leaves three to four, just starting to develop at flowering time, eventually 20-70 x 0.5-1.5 cm, linear, plicate, acuminate. Inflorescences rather laxly 2- to 9-flowered. Flowers showy, varying in color from pate pink, almost white, to rich purple, the lip white and yellow in the throat and spotted with purple. Sepals green, tinged with purple. Pedicel and ovary purple, 20-25 mm long; bracts purplish, acuminate, 25-35 mm lang. Sepals reflexed, 25-30 x 10-12 mm, ovate, acuminate. Petals 20-25 x 15-25 mm, ovate to orbicular, lying over the column. Lip 30 x 40 mm, with two projections 6 mm long in the throat, obscurely trilobed, the midlobe transversely oblong, slightly emarginate. Spur broadly saccate, 10 mm lang. Column 13-15 mm long. Rarely, plants are found with flowers only about half the size of those described, but otherwise the same.
Habitat:
Woodland, scrub, rough grassland, drier parts of marshes, 200-2300 m. This is one of the most common and attractive African orchids, particularly in the deeper colored forms.
Cultivation:
As given for the genus, hot to cold growing, slender terrestrial.
Distribution:
Trop. & S. Africa, Madagascar
References:
Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae (Part 3); Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11, Part 2, (1998) Author: I. la Croix & P.J. Cribb; African Orchids: XXII V. S. Summerhayes, Kew Bulletin, Vol. 8, No. 4 (1953), pp. 575-591; Orchids of Kenya Stewart 1996; The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977; Genera Orchidacearum Volume 5 Epidendrodeae Part 2 Pridgeon, Cribb, Chase and Rasmussen 2009; The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2019. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
Images:
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Habitat/In situ  Habitat/In situ  Habitat/In situ  Habitat/In situ Habitat/In situ Habitat/In situ Habitat/In situ
Eulophia cucullata 01   Eulophia cucullata 02  Eulophia cucullata 03 eulophia cucullata 01 eulophia cucullata 02 eulophia cucullata 03 eulophia cucullata 04
Photograph© Warren
McCleland. Image used
with kind permission.
 
Photograph© Warren McCleland.
Image used with kind permission. 
Photograph© Warren McCleland.
Image used with kind permission. 
Photograph© Margaret
Westrop. Image used
with kind permission.
Photograph© Margaret
Westrop. Image used
with kind permission.
Photograph© Margaret
Westrop. Image used
with kind permission.
Photograph© Margaret
Westrop. Image used
with kind permission.