Eulophia aculeata (L.f.) Spreng. 1826 Photo courtesy of © Lourens Grobler

Plant and Flowers in situ Photo courtesy of © Tyrone Genade

FragrancePart Sun Cold LATESpring EARLY Summer

Common Name The Pointed Eulophia

Flower Size

Found in Lesotho, Swaziland, Cape Province, Natal, Orange Free State and Transvaal South Africa in sunny sour grasslands at elevations around 900 to 2200 meters as a small sized, cold growing terrestrial with elongate, linear, acute, plicate leaves and blooms in the late spring through early summer on an erect few flowered inflorescence carrying drooping color variable, faintly fragrant flowers. Subsp aculeata has dull ivory to white to greenish white flowers, subsp huttonii has concolor greenish white to pink tinged green to dark reddish purple flowers with the lip crests being yellowish green to white.

Synonyms Cymbidium aculeatum (L.f.) Sw. 1799; Cymbidium plicatum Harv. ex Lindl. 1836; Cyrtopera pedicellata (L.f.) Lindl. 1833; Epidendrum aculeatum (L.f.) Poir. 1810; Epidendrum pedicellatum (L.f.) Poir. 1810; Eulophia aculeata subsp. huttonii (Rolfe) A.V.Hall 1965; Eulophia capensis (L.) Bolus 1882; Eulophia culveri Schltr. 1924; Eulophia pedicellata (L.f.) Spreng. 1826; Eulophia plicata (Harv. ex Lindl.) Bolus 1882; *Satyrium aculeatum L.f. 1782; Satyrium capense L. 1760; Satyrium pedicellatum L.f. 1782; Serapias aculeata (L.f.) Thunb. 1794; Serapias pedicellata (L.f.) Thunb.1794;

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Linder, Schelpe & Hall 1982; AOS Bulletin Vol 52 No 1 1983 photo; Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzwell 1999; Field Guide to the Orchids of Northern South Africa and Swaziland McMurty, Grobler, Grobler & Burns 2008;

Eulophia aculeata subsp. huttonii (Rolfe) A.V.Hall 1965 Photos courtesy of © Lourens Grobler

A color variety of the previous species with concolor greenish white to pink tinged green to dark reddish purple flowers with the lip crests being yellowish green to white.

Synonyms Eulophia huttonii Rolfe 1912 Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Linder, Schelpe & Hall 1982 photo; Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzwell 1999; Field Guide to the Orchids of Northern South Africa and Swaziland McMurty, Grobler, Grobler & Burns 2008;

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