Orthochilus welwitschii

Orthochilus welwitschii used to be called Eulophia welwitschii and is said to be closely related to O. abyssinica and O. mechowii. O. welwitschii is synonymous with E. zeyheri, which is also sometimes equated with O. mechowii, which makes it all rather confusing, if E. welwitschii and E. mechowii were not the same.

All of the Orthochilus species were moved out of the Eulophia genus around 2014, on the grounds of subgroups of the species stemming from different ancestors.

O. welwitschii is a slender perennial, a terrestrial orchid growing an annual flower stem to 90 cm.

The species distribution is in the north-eastern part of South Africa, the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and all the provinces north of the Vaal River. It is also found widespread in tropical Africa from Nigeria to Sudan.

The habitat in this vast distribution is heterogeneous. It includes dry grassland to moist or marshy regions, also some woodland and scrub areas. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Pooley, 1998; www.zimbabweflora.co.zw; www.redlist.sanbi.org).