EULOPHIA | Herbarium Digital Library


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EULOPHIA

Category: Plants and Orchids
Date Posted: 2006-10-16

MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED SPECIES OF THE GENUS EULOPHIA have been reported from Africa, Asia, the Malaya-Indonesian area and Australia. This is a terrestrial genus which includes some members that are frequently cultivated for their attractive flowers. Only eight species are native to the Philippines and these are seldom seen in cultivation with the exception of E. stricta which is occasionally collected by the native vendors and sold in the flower markets of Manila. The generic name Eulophia means "handsome crest," referring to the prominent crest on the middle lobe of the labellum. The genus was first described in 1822 upon the species E. quineensis, which is a native of Africa.

Both of the two most common indigenous Eulophias in the Philippines are widely distributed throughout this Archipelago and the southern islands to Java and Sumatra. Of these two, E.stricta and E.squalida, it is the former which is most prominent and attractive. This plant is found on the grassy slopes and hillsides at elevations of five hundred to two thousand feet and has been collected in abundance'from Tagaytay Ridge and the Novaliches areas, within forty miles of Manila. The plant develops from a flat potato-like tuber about two to four inches long. The grasslike leaves are long, linear and pointed, with three prominent veins on the reverse side. The leaves often grow to heights of five feet, while the flower stalk will grow to 6 1/2 feet. The flowers form in a cluster at the top of the spike and are about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. The outside of the petals and sepals is a canary yellow as is the middle lobe of the labellum, while the inner surface ofthe petals and sepals is white. The sepals and petals are similar, and the labellum is three-lobed and spurred with a wide pouch at the base. The middle lobe, which is yellow, has a prominent crest and a fringed appearance which is due to a wavy and crenulated margin (rounded notches). From fifteen to twenty flowers develop on the raceme and each lasts for about four or five days. The entire inflorescence, however, extends over a period of from two to three weeks. The specific name .rtricta means straight, probably a reference to the tall upright habit of the plant.

Eulophia squalida is also a common species throughout Luzon and one which is distributed quite widely within the Malaysian area. This species grows under partial shade, requiring more humid conditions than the one previously described, and has been collected by the authors from an area at about four thousand feet elevation, growing in the rich soil near mountain streams. This plant develops from irregularly formed corms and grows about eighteen to twenty-four inches tall. The leaves of this species are grasslike but about two inches wide; the inflorescence develops at the top of a flower stalk which is two feet tall and the individual flowers are almost an inch across. Two varieties of E. squalida are recognized. The most common has greenish white flowers; while the other, which is a larger plant, has a labellum that is lined with purple stripes. The flower of each type has narrow-pointed sepals, and shorter petals with a rounded lip terminated by a short spur. Both plants usually flower from April to June. The specific name squalida is Latin and means "unadorned"-a reference to the unobtrusive flowers of the plant.

These species of Eulophia are quite easy to cultivate and should be grown in a rich, sandy loam. Both plants have a dormant period, and naturally, at this time, should be allowed to dry out