Eulophia ovalis Lindl. 1836 Photos by © Lourens Grobler

Plant In Situ Zimbabwe Photos by Bart Wursten ©, and his Flora Of Zimbabwe WebSite

Partial Shade Cool LATE spring EARLY Summer

Common Name The Oval Eulophia [refers to the leaf]

Flower Size 1.8" [4 cm]

Found in Swaziland, Lesotho and Cape Province, Orange Free State, Natal and Transvaal South Africa in grasslands at elevations of 1200 meters as a small to medium sized, cool growing terrestrial with a chain of underground, conical pseudobulbs giving rise to 4 to 7, spreading, held in a loose fan, linear-lanceolate, plicate leaves that blooms in the late spring and early summer on an erect, slender, 7 to 18 flowered inflorescence with the flowers held at the apex

Generally this species has smaller flowers and shorter leaves than E ovalis var bainesii but they also differ in having white tinged pink lilac, a cylindrical usually longer spur and the crest ridges of the lip run more than half way on run apical lobe. In E bainesii the flower color is pale straw yellow the spur is shorter and is dorsi-ventrally compressed, and the crest ridges of the lip run less than half way along the apical lobbe.

Synonyms Eulophia bainesii Rolfe 1897; Eulophia bakeri Rolfe 1912; Eulophia complanata Verd. 1949; Eulophia deflexa Rolfe 1895; Eulophia dregeana Lindl. 1836; Eulophia haygarthii Rolfe 1910; Eulophia monticola Schltr. 1915; Eulophia ovalis subsp. bainesii (Rolfe) A.V.Hall 1965; Eulophia ovalis var. bainesii (Rolfe) P.J.Cribb & la Croix, 1998; Eulophia ovatipetala Rolfe 1910; Eulophia praticola Butzin 1975; Eulophia pretoriensis L.Bolus 1933; Eulophia thunbergii Rolfe 1910; Eulophia transvaalensis Schltr. 1924; Eulophia transvaalensis var. thorncroftii Schltr. 1924; Graphorkis dregeana (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891; Graphorkis ovalis (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Linder, Schelpe & Hall 1982 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 52 No 1 1983 photo fide; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 3 Cribb 1989; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1B lieferung 24 1457 - 1520 Brieger 1991 drawing ok; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1B lieferung 24 1457 - 1520 Brieger 1991 as E pretoriensis; AOS Bulletin Vol 62 No 3 1993 photo; Orchids of Kenya Stewart 1996; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidacaea Part 2 Pope 1998 as E ovalis var bainesii; Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzweil 1999 drawing/photo fide; Field Guide to the Orchids of Northern South Africa and Swaziland McMurty, Grobler, Grobler & Burns 2008 photos fide;

Eulophia ovalis subsp. bainesii (Rolfe) A.V.Hall 1965

Photos by Bart Wursten ©, and his Flora Of Zimbabwe WebSite

Plant In Situ Zimbabwe Photos by Bart Wursten ©, and his Flora Of Zimbabwe WebSite

Common Name English Artisitm Explorer and Plant Collector 1800's]

A color variety of the previous species occuring in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and South Africa in open grasslands at elevations of 1000 to 1800 meters as a small to large sized, cool growing terrestrial with 4 to 7, spreading, held in a loose fan, linear-lanceolate, plicate, fully developed leaves at blooming, occuring in the late spring and early summer on an erect, fairly dense 9 to 18 flowered inflorescence..

Generally this species the flower color is pale straw yellow the spur is shorter and is dorsi-ventrally compressed, and the crest ridges of the lip run less than half way along the apical lobe while E ovalis has smaller flowers and shorter leaves as well as white tinged pink lilac flower color, a cylindrical usually longer spur and the crest ridges of the lip run more than half way on run apical lobe.

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Linder, Schelpe & Hall 1982 photo fide; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 3 Cribb 1989 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 62 #3 1993 photo fide; Orchids of Kenya Stewart & Campbell 1996 pohoto fide; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidacaea Part 2 Pope 1998 drawing fide; Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzweil 1999 photo fide; Field Guide to the Orchids of Northern South Africa and Swaziland McMurty, Grobler, Grobler & Burns 2008 as E bainesii photo fide; Terrestrial African Orchids, A select Review John S. Ball 2009 drawing fide

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