Eulophia zollingeri

Carrion orchid
Eulophia zollingeri near Kottiyoor, India
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Genus: Eulophia
Species:
E. zollingeri
Binomial name
Eulophia zollingeri
Synonyms[1]
List
    • Cyrtopera zollingeri Rchb.f.
    • Cyrtopera formosana Rolfe
    • Cyrtopera papuana Ridl.
    • Cyrtopera rufa Thwaites
    • Cyrtopera sanguinea Lindl.
    • Cyrtopodium rufum (Thwaites) Trimen
    • Cyrtopodium sanguineum (Lindl.) N.E.Br.
    • Eulophia carrii C.T.White
    • Eulophia emilianae C.J.Saldanha
    • Eulophia formosana (Rolfe) Rolfe
    • Eulophia macrorhiza Blume
    • Eulophia macrorhiza var. minahassae Schltr.
    • Eulophia macrorhizon Hook.f.
    • Eulophia ochobiensis Hayata
    • Eulophia papuana (Ridl.) J.J.Sm. nom. illeg.
    • Eulophia sanguinea (Lindl.) Hook.f.
    • Eulophia toyoshimae Nakai
    • Eulophia yushuiana S.Y.Hu
    • Eulophia zollingeri f. viride Yokota
    • Eulophia zollingerioides P.O'Byrne
    • Graphorkis macrorhiza (Blume) Kuntze
    • Graphorkis papuana (Ridl.) Kuntze
    • Graphorkis rufa (Thwaites) Kuntze
    • Graphorkis sanguinea (Lindl.) Kuntze

Eulophila zollingeri, commonly known as the carrion orchid[2] or 无叶美冠兰 (wu ye mei guan lan),[3] is a plant in the orchid family and is native to areas from tropical and subtropical Asia to Queensland. It is a leafless, brownish terrestrial orchid with up to forty reddish brown, sharply scented flowers with a dark red and yellow labellum. It grows in decaying wood in and near rainforests.

It is classified as a partial mycoheterotroph that maintains a specialized symbiotic relationship with the wood decaying fungi Psathyrellaceae throughout all life stages. Isotopic analysis and chlorophyll data have shown that the orchid also performs its own photosynthesis during the fruiting stage. Its leafless underground habit is typical of saprophytic orchids but it also can perform photosynthesis in its stems.[4]

  1. ^ a b "Eulophia zollingeri". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  2. ^ Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 359. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference China was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Suetsugu, Kenji; Ohta, Tamihisa; Tayasu, Ichiro (2024). "Partial mycoheterotrophy in the leafless orchid Eulophia zollingeri specialized on wood-decaying fungi". Mycorrhiza. 34 (1–2): 33–44. doi:10.1007/s00572-024-01136-w. ISSN 0940-6360.