Eulophia leachii Greatrex ex A.V. Hall

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Photo: Helen Pickering
Bovu island on left hand side of path from landing stage to camp

Photo: Ton Rulkens
Limpopo river valley between Chissano and Chibuto, Gaza province.

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Synonyms:
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Terrestrial herb, up to c. 70 cm tall. Pseudobulbs mostly above ground, 6-14 cm long, cylindric to narrowly conical. Leaves 4-5, linear, up to 38 × 1.5 cm, leathery; margin finely toothed. Inflorescence unbranched, laxly up to 20-flowered. Sepals olive-green, more or less tinged purple-brown; dorsal sepal erect; lateral sepals somewhat spreading, turned back at the tips. Petals striped green and purple, more or less pointing forward, curled back at the tips. Lip 16-20 mm long, obscurely 3-lobed, greenish near the base, white on the apical half with purple veining on the sides and 3 crests of papillae down the centre; margin irregularly crisped. Column purple, 9-11 mm long. Spur 3-5 mm, cylindric, bent forwards.
Notes:	Like Eulophia petersii but with leathery, not succulent leaves, an unbranched inflorescence nand a more slender, incurved spur.
Derivation of specific name:	leachii: named after Larry Leach (1909-1996), English businessman, who came to Rhodesia in 1938 and, as an amateur botanist, became a major expert on succulent genera, particularly Euphorbia.
Habitat:	On sandy soil in dry deciduous woodland along the margins of pans and rivers.
Flowering time:	Oct - Dec
Worldwide distribution:	Caprivi-Namibia, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Limpopo, Gauteng and northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Growth form(s):	Terrestrial.
Endemic status:
Red data list status:	Vulnerable
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 26. Fibeck, W. & Dare, M. (1993). Terrestrial Orchids in Zimbabwe. Excelsa 16 Page 59. Golding, J.S. (ed.) (2002). Namibia Plant Red Data List. Southern African Plant Red Data Lists. SABONET 14 Page 71. Grosvenor, R.K. (1976). A list of orchids indigenous in Rhodesia. Excelsa 6 Page 81. La Croix, I. & Cribb, P.J. (1998). Orchidaceae (Part 2) Flora Zambesiaca 11(2) Pages 468 - 469. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 95. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 120. Pickering, H. & Roe, E. (2009). Wild Flowers of the Victoria Falls Area Helen Pickering, London Page 88. (Includes a picture). Williamson, G. (1977). The Orchids of South Central Africa J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd., London. Page 159.

Other sources of information about Eulophia leachii:

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Flora of Mozambique: Eulophia leachii
Flora of Zambia: Eulophia leachii
Flora of Zimbabwe: Eulophia leachii

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Eulophia leachii
African Plant Database: Eulophia leachii
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Eulophia leachii
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Eulophia leachii
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Eulophia leachii
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Eulophia leachii
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Eulophia leachii
JSTOR Plant Science: Eulophia leachii
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Eulophia leachii
Plants of the World Online: Eulophia leachii
Tropicos: Eulophia leachii
Wikipedia: Eulophia leachii