Disa amoena

Disa amoena is tuberous perennial growing deciduous above-ground parts to 30 cm in height. The leaves are narrow, rigid and acutely pointed, both basal and up the erect flower stem. 

The flowers may be pale or dark pink, others in the same colony white with lilac spots like the one in picture. The spots may be sparse or dense, from purple to maroon.

The species distribution is small, in Mpumalanga near the Limpopo border, close to Lydenburg from Mauchsberg to Mount Anderson.

The plants grow in colonies or scattered on rocky slopes and plateaus in short grassland where the gravelly soils are well-drained. The species is considered to be vulnerable in its habitat early in the twenty first century, potentially threatened by forestry, infrastructure development and invasive alien plants (Onderstall, 1996; http://redlist.sanbi.org).