| Home | > | List of families | > | Orchidaceae | > | Disa | > | robusta |
| Synonyms: |
Disa coccinea Kraenzl. Disa praestans Kraenzl. |
| Common names: | |
| Frequency: | Locally common |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
Terrestrial herb with separate fertile and sterile shoots, growing from testicular tubers. Sterile shoots 2–4-leaved; leaves semi-erect, conduplicate, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, up to 30 cm long. Fertile shoots 60–80 cm tall; leaves along the stem almost completely sheathing, grading into the floral bracts, 6–9 cm long. Inflorescence sub-dense, 7–15(30) cm long, 10–20(40)-flowered. Floral bracts ovate to narrowly ovate, reaching to the middle of the flowers. Flowers facing down at an angle of 45°, orange-red. Dorsal sepal broadly ovate, 10–16 mm long, 9–12 mm wide and 7–8 mm deep. Spur horizontal from a broadly conical base, 25–35 mm long, usually upcurved, ascending due to the angle of the flowers. Lateral sepals broadly ovate to broadly oblong, 12–18 mm long. Petals oblanceolate, 11–18 mm long, erect, falcate. Lip narrowly oblong, 7–12 mm long. |
| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | robusta: robust, tall. This in relation to most other Disa species in the region. |
| Habitat: | In moist montane grassland, edges of dambos, seepage slopes and occasionally in Brachystegia woodland. |
| Altitude range: | 1500 - 2000 m |
| Flowering time: | Nov -Jan |
| Worldwide distribution: | DRC, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia |
| Malawi distribution: | N,C,S |
| Growth form(s): | |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Baumann, G. (2005). Photographic Guide to Wildflowers of Malawi Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi Pages 222 - 223. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 321. (Includes a picture). Fischer, E., Killmann, D., Delepierre, G. & Lebel, J-P. (2010). The Orchids of Rwanda Koblenz Geographical Colloquia Series Biogeographical Monographs 2 Page 185. (Includes a picture). La Croix, I. & Cribb, P.J. (1995). Orchidaceae (Part 1) Flora Zambesiaca 11(1) Page 184. La Croix, I. et al. (1991). Orchids of Malawi A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam Page 123. (Includes a picture). Moriarty, A. (1975). Wild Flowers of Malawi Purnell & sons Cape Town. Pages 47 - 48. (Includes a picture). Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 119. Summerhayes, V.S. (1964). African orchids XXIX Kew Bulletin 17(3) Page 547. Williamson, G. (1977). The Orchids of South Central Africa J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd., London. Pages 83 - 84. (Includes a picture). |
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