Disa chrysostachya

The yellow or red torch orchid, as Disa chrysostachya is commonly known, is a perennial that grows annual above-ground leaves and flowers to heights up to 1 m, but quite variable in height. Orange or occasionally pink is also seen on the flowers. Torch orchids are pollinated by sunbirds and other insects.

The South African part of the species distribution is in the east, from the Eastern Cape, the eastern Free State and KwaZulu-Natal northwards to Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

The habitat is damp grassland and vlei areas from the coast to elevations around 2000 m. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Manning, 2009; Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).