Eulophia pulchra (Thouars) Lindl., Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 182 (1833).
Homotypic Synonyms:
Limodorum pulchrum Thouars, Hist. Orchid.: t. 43 (1822).
Graphorkis pulchra (Thouars) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 662 (1891).
Lissochilus pulcher (Thouars) H.Perrier, Fl. Madagasc. 49(2): 41 (1941), nom. illeg.
Eulophidium pulchrum (Thouars) Summerh., Bull. Jard. Bot. État Bruxelles 27: 400 (1957).
Oeceoclades pulchra (Thouars) P.J.Cribb & M.A.Clem., Austral. Orchid Res. 1: 99 (1989).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Eulophia macrostachya Lindl., Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 183 (1833).
Eulophia emarginata Blume, Coll. Orchid.: 180 (1859), nom. illeg.
Eulophia striata Rolfe, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 29: 53 (1891).
Graphorkis blumeana Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 663 (1891).
Graphorkis macrostachya (Lindl.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 662 (1891).
Graphorkis calographis Thouars, Bull. Herb. Boissier 2: 459 (1894), pro syn.
Eulophia coccifera Frapp. ex Cordem., Fl. Réunion: 222 (1895).
Eulophia dahliana Kraenzl., Notizbl. Königl. Bot. Gart. Berlin 2: 105 (1898), nom. illeg.
Graphorkis bisdahliana Kuntze, Deutsche Bot. Monatsschr. 21: 173 (1903).
Eulophia papuana F.M.Bailey, Queensland Agric. J. 19: 273 (1907), nom. illeg.
Eulophia ambaxiana J.J.Sm., Nova Guinea 8: 26 (1909).
Eulophia guamensis Ames, Philipp. J. Sci., C 9: 12 (1914).
Eulophia rouxii Kraenzl. in F.Sarasin & J.Roux, Nova Caledonia, Bot. 1: 82 (1914).
Eulophia silvatica Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 53: 586 (1915).
Eulophia novoebudae Kraenzl., Bull. Soc. Bot. France 76: 301 (1929).
Eulophidium silvaticum (Schltr.) Summerh., Bull. Jard. Bot. État Bruxelles 27: 402 (1957).
Eulophia pelorica D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem., Orchadian 14(8: Sci. Suppl.): ix (2004).
Eulophia pulchra var. actinomorpha W.M.Lin, Kuo Huang & T.P.Lin, Taiwania 51: 163 (2006).
Eulophia pulchra var. pelorica (D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.) T.P.Lin, Taiwania 61: 97 (2016).
Description:
Pseudobulbs densely arranged on rhizome, erect, cylindrical, emerging from ground, 8--10 x 1.5--2 cm wide, with 2--5 nodes. Leaves 2 or 3; petiole ca. 10 cm; leaf blade narrowly elliptic or suboblong, 11--25 x 4--7 cm, with 3 conspicuous main veins. Flowers and leaves appearing at same time; flower scape emerging from nodes on lower part of pseudobulb, to 60 cm tall, lower part with clasping sheaths; raceme erect, 12--15 cm, more than 10-flowered; floral bracts linear, relatively short. Pedicel and ovary ca. 1.5 cm. Flowers pale green and labellum white, all with purplish spots. Sepals similar to petals, suboblong-lanceolate, 1--1.5 x 3--5 cm or wider, apex acute or acuminate; lateral sepals somewhat oblique. Petals erect and connivent to abaxial sepal, behind column; labellum 3-lobed; lateral lobes erect, slightly embracing column; midlobe nearly compressed rounded, to 1.5 cm wide, apex deeply emarginate; labellum disc at spur mouth with 2 calli; spur green, subglobose, ca. 3.5 mm; column ca. 4 mm.
Colours:
Flowers green with a pale yellow lip with purple lines.
Habitat:
Terrestrial in lowland and montane forest. Altitude 5-1900 m.
Flowering time in the wild:
January, March, April, May, July.
Cultivation:
Warm to intermediate growing terrestrial, keep in shade.
Note:
An extremely widespread species, which in spite of its name is far from showy. When not in flower it resembles a species of Plocoglottis. Differs from the other species of Eulophia in New Guinea by its distinct, exposed pseudobulbs.
Distribution:
Tanzania to Mozambique and W. Pacific
References:
Flora Malesiana: Orchids of New Guinea; Flora Zambesiaca, Vol 11, Part 2, (1998) Author: I. la Croix & P.J. Cribb; The Genus Eulophidium Pfitz V. S. Summerhayes, Bulletin du Jardin botanique de l'État a Bruxelles, Vol. 27, Fasc. 3 (Sep. 30, 1957), pp. 391-403; African Orchids: XXVIII V. S. Summerhayes, Kew Bulletin, Vol. 16, No. 2 (1962), pp. 253-314
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