Eulophia coddii flower

An Eulophia coddii flower has parallel ridges along the upper surface of its lip. This yellow flower part is the brightest of all, the broad lateral petals paler and creamy, their margins curving and their tips attenuating.

Unlike the dark sepals and pale petals, all with entire margins, the lip of the flower has raggedly toothed margins, resembling the fleshy protrusions growing in neat rows upon its surface.

The lateral lip lobes rise beside the column in the flower centre. At the top of the column of an orchid flower is as usual the male anther which contains packets of pollen called pollinia. Below the anther is the female part, the stigma, a shallow, usually sticky cavity upon or in which pollen has to be placed to achieve fertilisation (iSpot; www.orchidspecies.com).