Disa uniflora inflorescence

This inflorescence of several Disa uniflora flowers shows pinkish flower colours.

The specific name of uniflora suggests that only a single flower is produced by plants of this species. The name was given early, when the plant was not well known yet. More plants had to be observed before the multi-flower inflorescence was noted.

Knowledge about everything grows gradually from low beginnings. Monuments of ignorance like wrong plant names reflect this growth. It should be seen as positive, showing the progress made and serving as inspiration to achieve more.

No plant on earth is fully known by humanity yet and will never be, although many of them are pretty well known and understood. Living systems always evolve further, horticulture brings chosen plants into new conditions, eliciting new growth habits and features, while humanity simply doesn’t know everything, although that fact is soon lost when confidence morphs into arrogance (Manning, 2007).