Disa stachyoides

Disa stachyoides is a robust tuberous perennial that reaches 10 cm to 40 cm in height. The specific name, stachyoides, says that the plant resembles plants of the Stachys or woundwort genus. 

This inflorescence is a densely flowered spike, caught at a good time in its flowering cycle, some flowers (low down) gone and others (high up) still to come. The blooming season is long, lasting from mid-spring to early autumn, depending on the region. The pinkish purple flower colour is not the only one that may be seen, blue-mauve ones of different shades also occur. The older flowers lower down in the spike in picture have also wilted to blue. The erect floral bracts in the middle parts of the inflorescence are nearly as long as the flowers.

The species distribution is in part of the summer rainfall east of South Africa, from the north of the Eastern Cape, the far east of the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, as well as some neighbouring countries.

The habitat is dry grassland at various altitudes where the plants are found widespread, so the habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Pooley, 1998; Onderstall, 1984; Trauseld, 1969; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).