Disa fragrans

Disa fragrans subsp. fragrans, commonly the fragrant disa and in Afrikaans the lekkerruik-disa (nice smell disa), is a terrestrial orchid, a robust, tuberous perennial reaching heights from 15 cm to 50 cm.

The broadly ovate basal (or radical) leaves clutch the stem, as do the cauline ones (the stem leaves), reducing higher up. Longitudinal vein lines are visible on the leaves in the photo, nearly parallel and slightly recessed upon the upper surfaces. In addition, many purple spots and a few transversal line markings are scattered on the blades. These plants may produce a second, sterile stem bearing leaves only.

The emerging inflorescence in the centre of the leaf rosette in picture promises many flowers that will be fragrant as all the names promise. The buds are arranged in a neat, compact geometric pattern at this early stage. The species may present any of an unusually wide range of flower colours, from yellow and orange to brown, pink and white.

The species distribution is widespread from the northeast of the Eastern Cape, the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg and the far northeast of the Free State to the Mpumalanga and Limpopo escarpment, also in Lesotho and elsewhere in Africa as far as Tanzania.

The habitat is cliff edges in damp grassland at elevations from 1800 m to 3000 m. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Pooley, 1998; www.zimbabweflora.co.za; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).