''Eulophia'', commonly known as corduroy orchids, is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of about two hundred species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the orchid family,

Orchidaceae Orchids are plants that belong to the family (biology), family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan plants that ...

. Most ''Eulophia'' orchids are terrestrial but some are

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

while others are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

. They either have an underground

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...

pseudobulb In botany, a pseudobulb is a storage organ found in many epiphytic and terrestrial sympodial orchids. It is derived from a thickening of the part of a stem between leaf nodes and may be composed of just one internode or several, termed ''heter ...

s 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

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s which are larger than the

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s. The

is widely distributed but most species are found in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, usually growing in shady places with grass or shrubs in forests.

Description

Orchids in the genus ''Eulophia'' are mostly terrestrial herbs with either an underground rhizome or pseudobulbs on the surface. The only two

epiphytic An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

species occur on

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

. Many species have no leaves, but when leaves are present they are long and narrow, sometimes pleated. The flowers are borne on a flowering stem which sometimes appears before the leaves with a few to many flowers. The flowers in some species are small but others have large, showy flowers in a wide range of colours. The sepals are usually larger than the petals but the labellum has three lobes and a spur or pouch at its base.

Taxonomy and naming

The genus ''Eulophia'' was first formally described by

John Lindley John Lindley Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidology, orchidologist. Early years Born in Old Catton, Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four c ...

in 1821 and the description was published in ''

The Botanical Register ''The Botanical Register'', subsequently known as ''Edwards's Botanical Register'', was an illustrated horticultural magazine that ran from 1815 to 1847. It was started by the botanical illustrator Sydenham Edwards, who had previously illustr ...

''. Because

Robert Brown Robert Brown may refer to: Robert Brown (born 1965), British Director, Animator and author Entertainers and artists * Washboard Sam or Robert Brown (1910–1966), American musician and singer * Robert W. Brown (1917–2009), American printmaker ...

had previously used the name ''Eulophia'' in describing ''Lissochilus speciosus'', and the name of that species was changed to '' Eulophia speciosa'', Brown is the accepted author of the name. "Eulophia" is derived from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

words ''eu'' meaning "good", "well" or "true" and ''lophos'' meaning "mane", "crest", "comb", "tuft" or "ridge", possibly referring to the labellum

callus A callus (: calluses) is an area of thickened and sometimes hardened skin that forms as a response to repeated friction, pressure, or other irritation. Since repeated contact is required, calluses are most often found on the feet and hands, b ...

of some species.

Distribution and habitat

Orchids in the genus ''Eulophia'' are distributed in shady rainforests or in open scrub or woodland in the tropics and subtropics of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, and the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

, although most are found in Africa. Many can survive the dry season through their large bulbous ‘corms’. Some species, such as '' Eulophia petersii'', have adapted to very arid environments and are among the few orchids to have truly evolved

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

living species.

Use in horticulture

In the frost-free, semi-arid areas of Southern California, many ''Eulophia'' species, such as '' E. macra'', '' E. petersii'', '' E. plantaginea'', and '' E. speciosa'', can be grown outdoors year-round in well-drained pots with cactus/succulent potting mix (although ''E. speciosa'' prefers being grown in pure white sand), as long as they are given ample light through the winter and a drier winter resting period. Warmer growers, such as '' E. pulchra'' and possibly even the extremely rare and difficult '' E. cucullata'' (the foxglove orchid), can probably be grown outdoors in the warmer south areas of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, also. The generally large, underground, fleshy

indicates a

sympodial In botany, sympodial growth is a bifurcating branching pattern where one branch develops more strongly than the other, resulting in the stronger branches forming the primary shoot and the weaker branches appearing laterally. A sympodium, als ...

growth habit, and this makes Eulophias fairly easy to divide and propagate, provided the grower is gentle.

Species

See List of ''Eulophia'' species

Hybrids

Primary hybrids

As of 9 Sept 2021, the following primary hybrids have been registered with the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

: * ''Eulophia'' 'Allan Abel' ('' E. streptopetala'' x '' E. guineensis'') * ''Eulophia'' 'Douglas McMurtry' ('' E. ovalis'' x '' E. speciosa'') * ''Eulophia'' × ''flavopurpurea'' ('' E. cristata'' x '' E. millsonii'') * ''Eulophia'' 'Jaco Truter' ('' E. hereroensis'' x '' E. streptopetala'') * ''Eulophia'' 'Jeannie Wolff' ('' E. streptopetala'' x '' E. speciosa'') * ''Eulophia'' 'John Davison' ('' E. euglossa'' x '' E. andamanensis'') * ''Eulophia'' 'Memoria Alexis Pardo' ('' E. guineensis'' x '' E. andamanensis'') * ''Eulophia'' 'Michael Tibbs' ('' E. guineensis'' x '' E. speciosa'') * ''Eulophia'' 'Olive Delight' ('' E. cooperi'' x '' E. hereroensis'') * ''Eulophia'' × ''pholelana'' ('' E. ovalis'' x '' E. zeyheriana'') * ''Eulophia'' 'Shamara' ('' E. euglossa'' x '' E. guineensis'')

Intergeneric hybrids

As off 9 Sept 2021, the following intergeneric hybrids made with ''Eulophia'' as the seed/pod (capsule-bearing) parent have been registered with the Royal Horticultural Society: * ''Cymbidilophia'' 'Jumbo Kehong' ('' E. andamanensis'' x '' Cymbidiella pardalina'') * ''Euclades'' 'Indianapolis' ('' E. guineensis'' x '' Oeceoclades saundersiana'') * ''Eulobidium'' 'Rakthai' ('' E. andamanensis'' x '' Cymbidium aloifolium'') * ''Eulomangis'' 'Jumbo Gram' ('' E. graminea'' x '' Grammangis spectabilis'') * ''Eulomangis'' 'Jumbo Keith' ('' E. andamanensis'' x '' Grammangis spectabilis'') * ''Eulomangis'' 'Jumbo Pete' ('' E. petersii'' x '' Grammangis ellisii'') * ''Eulophyllum'' 'Jumbo Keith' ('' E. andamanensis'' x '' Grammatophyllum measuresianum'') * ''Eulosellia'' 'Jumbo Nilotica' ('' E. graminea'' x '' Ansellia africana'') * ''Eulosellia'' 'Jumbo Nilotica' ('' E. graminea'' x '' Ansellia africana'') * ''Graphophia'' 'SAJVOL Germinator' ('' E. petersii'' x '' Graphorkis concolor'') A further three intergeneric hybrids have been registered with ''Eulophia'' as the pollen parent: * ''Euclades'' 'Saint Léger' ('' Oeceoclades cordylinophylla'' x '' E. guineensis'') * ''Eulophyllum'' 'Jumbo Amos' ('' Grammatophyllum scriptum'' x '' E. andamanensis'') * ''Gramcymbiphia'' 'Jumbo Lovely' (''Grammatocymbidium'' 'Lovely Melody' x '' E. guineensis'')

Gallery

Image:Eulophia alta - fl 1.jpg, '' Eulophia alta'' Image:Eulophia alta - pl.jpg, '' Eulophia alta'' Image:Eulophia-guineensis.jpg, '' Eulophia guineensis'' Image:Eulophia-guineensis1.jpg, '' Eulophia guineensis'' Image:Eulophia spectabilis 1.jpg, '' Eulophia nuda'' Image:Eulophia obtusa by Md Sharif Hossain Sourav.jpg, '' Eulophia obtusa''

References

External links

{{Authority control Eulophiinae genera