When thinking Orchids and the Western Cape – then the Disa must immediately come to mind.This is an amazing red orchid, a true vision of scarlet splendor. It is thus no wonder that the red Disa is also the emblem of the Cape. On a recent visit to Cape Town and Table Mountain in particular I was fortunate enough to see a Disa growing naturally. I was walking, or rather hiking, on Table Mountain along a cold mountain stream when I saw this amazing red flower amongst the moss and roots, clinging to a cliff.
Sad though that since South Africa happens to be a thirsty country, some of the natural habitat of the Disa had to make way for the construction of a reservoir. Talk about a mass sacrifice.
Disas are evergreen and tuber-based. They have between three and seven flowers on a stem and the stems are approximately 38 to 50 cm long. The Disa Orchid blooms from October right through to March, reaching the peak floral time in December. As a cut flower the Disa uniflora orchid will provide you with pleasure for six to eight weeks.
The Disa uniflora has the richest reds that can be found in an orchid. Nowadays one can buy Disa hybrids that have blooms ranging from yellow through to deep crimson. In the wild you will only encounter yellow Disas occasionally – or so I am told. More amazing regarding the Disa uniflora is the way in which it is pollinated. Apparently, in nature, the evasive mountain pride butterfly (Aeropetes tulbagia) is the pollinating agent. This butterfly cannot resist the red of the Disa and this means that the yellow Disa has a very hard time. This sort of explains the rarity of the yellow form of the Disa uniflora and its only means of reproduction is vegetative. A rarity and a rare treat indeed.
