Couple of Eulophias

[Roberta]

For you desert dwellers, some really tough orchids from Africa...

Eulophia petersii basically grows like a cactus. Hard, pointy leaves with serrated edges. I grow it in pea gravel.
Spike is about 4 ft (1.3 m) tall, just getting started opening.

Eulophia speciosa - blooms sequentially over a period of several months. Leaves not as "dangerous" as E. petersii, but still hard and pointy. I grow it in sand.

Choice of media was based on how I got the plants... I repotted into same medium as what I got them in several years ago since they were doing really well that way. E. speciosa bloomed for me last year, this is the first bloom I have had from E. petersii. I don't water these in winter, but I don't protect them from rain (so they get a little water, but very irregularly) In spring/summer/fall they get watered with everything else. Note that in both cases, leaves tend to be rather vertical, so they don't present broad surfaces to the sun. No shelter for these.

[DirtyCoconuts]

WOW...and i thought that Schoms looks intimidating!!!

stunning flowers too

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

WOW...and i thought that Schoms looks intimidating!!!

stunning flowers too

Enjoy! Eulophia petersii is especially unwelcoming to anything that might want to eat it... everything in the desert has sharp points and edges. Really slow-growing. Mine is relatively a baby, a multi-growth plant can be really impressive, but it takes lots of years to get to that point.

---------- Post added at 12:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:40 PM ----------

Oh, just for the record, these are related to Catasetinae, distantly (Part of the Cymbidae family). I put it in Miscellaneous because although we have a Catasetinae category, it also includes Stanhopea which is completely unrealated, didn't want to confuse the issue.

[Afid]

These are really nice species! Eulophia is such a fun genus! I want to grow them someday, where did you get these beauties?

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Afid

These are really nice species! Eulophia is such a fun genus! I want to grow them someday, where did you get these beauties?

They were from one of the members of one of my societies... and I'm not sure where HE got them, I suspect also from "somebody else", another local collector. Some of the older members of societies have treasures...provenance going back many years.

[estación seca]

Grigsby Cactus in Vista has some of them.

Edit: If you're visiting Tucson, Dan Bach's nursery usually has some in the retail sales area. They don't ship.

[Dollythehun]

A friend sent me mine. It's potted in leaf mold and sand. It's still a babie but puts out a new growth each year. Full Indiana sun FWIW.

Recently a raccoon knocked it over and it lost some soil. I'll need to refill or repot. ES and Roberta, what are your thoughts on mix?

[Roberta]

If it is one of these species, they don't seem to need anything organic... Eulophia petersii is in pea gravel (about 1/4 inch), Eulophia speciosa in sandbox-sand. (Both are the media types that I got them in... only reason to repot was that they needed to be re-centered in the pot) Other species I don't know.

[Dollythehun]

I think then I shall just back fill with sand and leaf mold again and leave it alone.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

I think then I shall just back fill with sand and leaf mold again and leave it alone.

Sounds like a good idea... not broken, don't fix it. I put mine back in what they were in because they were doing fine...