Disa porrecta crooked spur

A zigzagging Disa porrecta spur was spotted among flowers normally bearing straight or slightly curved spurs. When pollination time comes, the flower may fail in its interaction with butterflies, but who knows? Some straightening might save the day.

Environmental influences like insect or wind damage during early spur elongation may have played a role here. Or a nutrient imbalance may be the cause. Other possibilities include mechanical distortion in the bud, or a genetic variation (Euston-Brown and Kruger, 2023; Liltved and Johnson, 2012; Gledhill, 1981; iNaturalist).