Eulophia ovalis var. bainesii

Eulophia ovalis var. bainesii, the oval eulophia, grows from a rhizome that is jointed or constricted at intervals, resembling a string of bead-like swellings.

The robust plant produces flowers in a loose spike up to 65 cm tall. Blooming happens in from midspring to midautumn.

This plant is distributed naturally from the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal to Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. In Africa beyond our borders it is found in Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and further into tropical Africa to Kenya.

The habitat is open, rocky grassland. This subspecies is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (www.orchidspecies.com; www.redlist.sanbi.org).