Eulophia turkestanica

Family Orchidaceae. The only species of the genus, which includes 50-60 species, mainly distributed in tropical Asia, Africa, Australia, and Madagascar, which grows only in Central Asia in the middle reaches of the Amu Darya River, in the Zeravshan River valley, in the Southern Pamir-Alay, along wet marshy river valleys, in tugai forests, in chiy thickets (endemic species).

The flowering shoots of the plant are leafless, yellowish, 20–50 cm high, with membranous sheaths. The leaf-bearing shoots have narrow linear rigid leaves gathered in a rosette, resembling grass leaves, and appear later than the flowering shoots. The rhizome has tuberous thickenings from which aerial shoots emerge. Inflorescence a many-flowered raceme. Bracts lanceolate, pointed, equal in length to the ovary with the pedicel. Flowers bright yellow, nodding. Perianth segments free, erect, spreading, all almost the same in shape: linear, pointed, about 15 mm long and 2–3 mm wide, the outer ones slightly larger than the inner ones. The lip has a short, about 5 mm straight spur, is three-lobed, with an obtuse terminal lobe, and above, along the median veins, bears fringed comb-like plates. Capsule elliptical. Flowers in April–May; leaf-bearing shoots appear in October; propagated by seeds. Occurs very rarely and in small numbers; the species' population is declining due to land development.