20 Eulophia welwitschii Seeds - Indigenous Orchid Seeds

This attractive orchid makes a striking display in summer with its bright yellow inflorescence, especially when occurring in dense stands. It is often seen in marshy areas and seasonally inundated grasslands, but sadly, due to human activities, this species is less commonly seen in urban areas. 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 contact your local Orchid Society, or purchase a book on the subject, or both!

Eulophia welwitschii is a perennial, terrestrial orchid, about 800 mm high, with underground corms, and stiffly erect leaves which are present at flowering time. The leaves are strongly pleated. The flowers are borne on a single, tall flowering stem in a dense head of up to 25 flowers. Both the petals and sepals are yellow (pale green or cream-coloured in some cases) with the sepals and petals held close together. It has dark red-purple markings on the inside of the side lobes and base of the lip and thread-like crest papillae. The spur is slender and short and hidden by the bracts. It flowers from November to January, coinciding with the summer rains. After flowering, the plants produce one or more seed capsules on the flower spike. When they are dry and grey-brown, they burst open to release thousands of seeds which are very small, almost dust-like, and are dispersed by wind.