Disa stachyoides flowering in grassland

Disa stachyoides is one of the many summer rainfall terrestrial orchids of southern Africa. It is widely represented in the north eastern South African higher altitude grassland (up to 2800 m), as well as in Lesotho and Swaziland, adapted to cool climates.

This plant is said to have been used traditionally by some indigenous population groups to avert lightning, although how this was done is unknown.