Disa versicolor

The apple-blossom orchid, Disa versicolor, is a robust grower from an underground, tubular rootstock. It produces leaves on a shoot separate from the flower stalk, as is the case with several of the terrestrial orchids. The leaves are mostly basal, tapering to acute tips. The leaves sheathe the stem, the upper ones small and bract-like.

The thick cylindrical flower stalk of up to 70 cm bears many tiny, fragrant flowers. Flowering happens in summer. Flower colour is pink early and maroon to brown later in the flowering cycle. The Disa shape of the median sepal over the rest of the flower as a hood, the other two sepals like spreading wings below, as in the photo. The floral bract subtending each flower is often soon dry, become brown to black.

Versicolor means variously coloured or changing colour. The distribution of this species is widespread across grassland in the east of South Africa and in tropical Africa (Manning, 2009; www.pacificbulbsociety.org; www.zimbabweflora.co.zw).