Disa miniata Summerh., Kew Bull. 17: 539 (1964).
Description:
A terrestrial herb 3-4.5 dm. high, glabrous except for the roots; tubers ellipsoid, ± 1.5 cm. long and 5 mm. in diameter, glabrous or ± tomentose; roots slender, flexuous, sparsely pubescent. Sterile stems short, with a few overlapping sheaths at the base and 2 or 3 leaves at the apex; leaves narrowly lanceolate, acute, 8-10 cm. long, 1-1.5 cm. broad. Flowering stems slender or rather slender, almost covered by the sheathing leaves; leaves 9-12, adpressed to the stem, the lowermost 1-2 sheath-like, spotted or marked with red, the remainder lanceolate, acute, the largest 4-7.5 cm. long and 5-12 mm. broad. Inflorescence 3.5-10 cm. long, 2-2.5 cm. in diameter, not very densely 6-20-flowered. Bracts leafy, lanceolate, acuminate, 1.5-2.7 cm. long, green or tinged red, mostly overtopping the flowers. Flowers suberect, orange or vermilion; pedicel with ovary straight, 1-1.5 cm. long. Dorsal sepal erect, ovate-elliptical, subacute, spurred at or above the middle, ± 6 mm. long and 3.5 mm. broad, the spur pendent, club-shaped from a narrow base, obtuse, ± 4 mm. long and 2 mm. in diameter; laterals spreading, ovate-elliptical, obtuse, 6-7 mm. long, ± 4.5 mm. broad. Petals erect, broadly obovate in general shape, 2-lobed near the apex, altogether 4-5.5 mm. long, nearly 4 mm. broad; front lobe broad, rounded, much larger and longer than the small oblong or lanceolate-oblong back lobe which is 1.5-2 mm. long and 1 mm. broad. Lip pendent, linear, ± 5 mm. long and scarcely I mm. broad. Anther erect, shortly stalked, just over 3 mm. high. Stigma nearly orbicular, ± 2 mm. in diameter.
Habitat:
This species occurs on high ground (usually well above 1000 m above sea level) in South-Central Africa. Most of the collections are from the Northern Province of Zambia (with outliers on the Nyika Plateau, and at Iringa in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania), and in the Mazoe-Salisbury area in Zimbabwe. The climax vegetation over the whole range of this species is either Brachystegia woodland or (rarely) montane grassland. The rainfall varies from about 1000 to 1400 mm p.a., with about five dry months in winter.
Phenology:
Flowering occurs in December to January.
Cultivation:
As given for the genus, cool growing terrestrial.
Notes:
By its posterior petal lobes being shorter than anterior lobe Disa miniata appears to be similar to Disa cryptantha Summerh., from which it differs however, by having clavate spur, reaching to the base of the dorsal sepal. In Disa cryptantha spur is cylindrical, reaching below the base of the dorsal sepal.
Distribution:
The Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire), Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique. Alt. 1490-1800 m.
References:
Orchidaceae of West-central Africa, vol. 1, Gdansk University Press Gdansk 2010; The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977; Flora Zambesiaca Vol. 11 Part 1 Pope 1995; A molecular phylogeny for the large African orchid genus Disa Bytebier 2006
Images:
Click on each image to see a larger version.
| Habitat/In situ | Habitat/In situ |
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| Photograph© Margaret Westrop. Image used with kind permission. |
Photograph© Margaret Westrop. Image used with kind permission. |
