Disa vaginata Harv. ex Lindl. 1842 SECTION Atromaculiferae

Inflorescence in situ South Africa

Plant and Flower in situ South Africa Photos by © Tyrone Genade

LATE EARLY

Common Name The Vaginate Disa

Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]

Found in southwestern to southern Cape Province South Africa as isolated plants to small colonies in dry stony soils in moss on rocks or in damp rock crevasses at elevations of 300 to 1300 meters as a cold growing terrestrial orchid with cauline, lower 2 to 5 are basally clustered, lorate to lanceolate, imbricate, leaves grading to floral bracts that blooms in the late spring and early summer on a terminal, erect, dense, 2 to 8" [5 to 20 cm long], usually subcorymbose; 3 to 15 flowered inflorescence.

Synonyms Disa modesta Rchb.f.1847

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list IPNI ; Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Linder, Schelpe & Hall 1982 photo fide; Schlechteriana Vol 2 No 4 1991 photo fide; Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzwell 1999 photo fide; A molecular phylogeny for the large African orchid genus Disa Bytebier 2006

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------