Eulophia cucullata, sometimes commonly called the foxglove orchid, is a terrestrial orchid, a slender herb growing to heights from 25 cm to 50 cm in KwaZulu-Natal and to 1,3 m in Zimbabwe.
Annual leaves and a flower stem grow from the perennial tuberous rootstock. The long narrow leaves become 30 cm long and 1 cm wide. They are either absent at bloomtime or only partly grown.
The species distribution in South Africa is only the KwaZulu-Natal coastal region, but in tropical Africa it occurs at higher elevations, up to 1700 m in Zimbabwe. The plant is also found on Madagascar (Pooley, 1998; www.zimbabweflora.co.zw).