Disa dracomontana flowers

The flowers of Disa dracomontana are pale in the picture, growing in a short spike. There may be deeper purple colouring upon most of the corolla segments. Some bluish purple is visible on the sepals here, especially the laterals that have longitudinal lines down the centre.

The elliptic to obovate, slightly concave lip is pinkish purple, the deepest coloured segment of the corolla. The lip is well smaller than the pair of ovate lateral sepals that spread, angled outwards immediately below it.

The nearly erect hood is shallowly helmet-shaped and elongated, more or less pointed and slightly taller than the conical spur on its back is long. Two smallish lateral petals adhere to the sides of the hood, the dorsal sepal. Flower diameter is about 1,5 cm.

The floral bracts with their acutely pointed tips are beige coloured and faintly translucent with longitudinal veins from base to tip. Each bract, folding around the twisted ovary of its flower, is about as tall as the flower or taller, sometimes pushed aside by it, but not reflexed.

Flowering happens in late spring and summer (iNaturalist; iSpot; www.orchidspecies.com).