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Eulophia graminea Lindl.
Chinese Crown Orchid
Not native to Florida
Invasive exotics that have increased in abundance or frequency but have not yet altered Florida plant communities to the extent shown by Category I species.
Planting this species should be avoided and removal of existing plants may be desirable.
This Asian orchid was first seen in Florida around 2006-2007 growing naturalized in wood mulch in Miami-Dade County. It can now be found in disturbed sites, hammocks, pinelands, coastal and cypress strands on the peninsula far north as the I-4 corridor. These photos were made in a powerline right-of-way on Key Largo.
Chinese crown orchids grow up to a meter (~ 3 ft.) tall, at first with numerous roots, then growing pseudobulbs, Leaves are small and narrow, the flowers in tall racemes. Most of the flower is green with purple venations, a prominent white lip also has purple markings. Fruit is a capsule 3cm (1-1/8 in.) in length.
Eulophia graminea is a member of the Orchidaceae - Orchid family.
Other species of the Eulophia genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Eulophia alta - WILD COCO
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
For more information on this species, visit the following link:
UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants page for this species.
Date record last modified: Oct 05, 2025
