Disa alinae Szlach., Fragm. Florist. Geobot. 39: 543 (1994).
Description:
Flowering stem 34-43 cm tall, erect, rather stout, glabrous, completely covered by cauline leaves. Leaves 10-14, up to 7 cm long, ca. 1.5 cm wide, erect, loosely adpressed to the stem, the lower and the middle ovate-lanceolate, acute, the upper lanceolate, acuminate, slightly narrower. Inflorescence 6-7 cm long, 3-5-flowered, rather dense. Floral bracts up to 40 mm long, elliptic-ovate, acuminate, longer than flowers. Ovary 17 mm long. Dorsal sepal clawed, erect; claw 9 mm long, ribbon-like; blade 12 mm long, 12.5 mm wide, broadly ovate to ovate-orbicular in general outline, cochleate, spurred at the base, ca. 11.5 mm from the base of the claw. Spur 8 mm long, 1.5 mm in diameter, cylindrical-clavate, blunt. Petals glabrous; the basal part 9.5 mm long, 7 mm wide, obliquely ovate-lanceolate, attenuate towards the apex; apical part 8 mm long, 1.8 mm wide, band-shaped, acute, twisted at the base. Lateral sepals 22 mm long, 10.5 mm wide, obliquely oblong, obtuse, cucullate at the apex, glabrous. Lip 12-13 mm long, 1 mm wide, linear, acute, single-nerved, shorter than ovary. Gynostemium 13 mm long, anther erect.
Habitat:
Humid grasslands.
Cultivation:
As given for the genus.
Notes:
Disa alinae is allied to Disa ornithantha Schltr. but its spur is up to 8 mm long, claw of the dorsal sepal is ribbon-like and blade is ovate. In the latter species the spur is over 9 mm long and dorsal sepal is spathulate in general outline.
Distribution:
DR Congo, known from the type collection only. Alt. 1500 m.
References:
Orchidaceae of West-central Africa, vol. 1, Gdansk University Press Gdansk 2010; Fragm. Flor. Geobot. 1994