Disa woodii

Disa woodii, sometimes called the golden cob disa, is a robust, erect perennial growing an unbranched flowering stem from an underground tuber to heights from 50 cm to 70 cm.

The species distribution is in the east of South Africa, from the coastal northeast of the Eastern Cape, the KwaZulu-Natal coast and inland in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gauteng, as well as in some neighbouring countries, including eSwatini and Zimbabwe. The photo was taken near Ermelo.

The habitat is marshy to damp grassland, the plants also growing on disturbed land and in road cuttings, mostly at elevations lower than 1500 m. The habitat population is considered of least concern early in the twenty first century (Manning, 2009; Pooley, 1998; Van Wyk and Malan, 1997; iNaturalist; https://orchidspecies.com/disawoodii.htm; http://redlist.sanbi.org).