Eulophia aculeata Seeds
South African Indigenous Orchid
Eulophia is a very large pantropical genus and is represented in southern Africa by 45 orchid species. The plants grow terrestrially in small to large colonies in grassland, marshes, savanna and scrub, and occasionally also in fynbos. With their open and often also fairly large flowers in brilliant colours, they resemble 'typical orchids' more than other indigenous South African orchids. Flowering occurs in spring or summer. Plants have underground corms or partly aerial pseudobulbs. Leaves, which may be absent or present at the flowering time, are either thin-tissued or leathery (sometimes even succulent). The erect inflorescences are always lateral and bear a number of medium-sized or large flowers. In most species these are resupinate (lip facing down). Sepals and petals are normally simple and always unspurred. The lip is most commonly three-lobed and usually has a basal sac or spur. On its upper surface it has various outgrowths like crests, papillae or lamellae, but a large lip appendage as in Pterygodium is not present. The column is stout to elongate and has a prominent undifferentiated column-part. Apically it bears the anther (pollen sac) which is positioned under a 'lid' called the anther cap. The stigma is situated in a cavity on the front side of the column below the anther. Growing orchids from seed is a fairly specialized undertaking and it requires a bit of understanding of tissue culture techniques. If you have never grown orchids from seed we recommend that before attempting this you should first coct your local Orchid Society, or purchase a book on the subject, or both! Eulophia aculeata is a South African indigenous species from the Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Western Cape Provinces. It is synonymously known as Orthochilus aculeatus, Cymbidium aculeatum, Cymbidium pedicellatum, Cymbidium plicatum, Cyrtopera pedicellata, Epidendrum aculeatum, Eulophia capensis, Eulophia culveri, Eulophia pedicellata, Satyrium aculeatum, Satyrium pedicellatum and Serapias aculeata. It has stiffly erect leaves of up to 60 cm tall. During summer it produces a dense head of up to 27 dull ivory to pink or purple flowers. It can be sown in either autumn or spring.
