''Disa'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Orchidaceae Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...

. It comprises about 182

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> Most of the species are indigenous to

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

and southern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, with a few more in the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plat ...

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Afric ...

, and

Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island o ...

.Hans Peter Linder and Hubert Kurzweil. 1999. ''Orchids of Southern Africa''. 504 pages. A. A. Balkema. . '' Disa bracteata'' is naturalised in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...

, where the local name is "African weed-orchid." The genus ''Disa'' was named by P.J. Bergius in 1767.Peter Jonas Bergius. 1767. ''Descriptiones Plantarum ex Capite Bonae Spei'': 348. (See ''External links'' below). It was named after

Disa Disa is the heroine of a Swedish legendary saga, which was documented by Olaus Magnus, in 1555. It is believed to be from the Middle Ages, but includes Old Norse themes. It was elaborated by Johannes Messenius in his drama ''Disa'', which was t ...

, the

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...

ine of a Swedish

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

.Umberto Quattrocchi. 2000. ''CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names'' volume II. CRC Press: Boca Raton; New York; Washington,DC;, USA. London, UK. (vol. II). (see ''External links'' below).

Description

The

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae excl ...

s grow from a fleshy tuberous root which is a source of

maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide that is used as a food ingredient. It is produced from vegetable starch by partial hydrolysis and is usually found as a white hygroscopic spray-dried powder. Maltodextrin is easily digestible, being absorbed as ...

s which are used as a

sugar substitute A sugar substitute is a food additive that provides a sweetness like that of sugar while containing significantly less food energy than sugar-based sweeteners, making it a zero-calorie () or low-calorie sweetener. Artificial sweeteners may b ...

. Some species attain a height of 90 cm. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanis ...

s are solitary or arranged in

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

s. The

petal Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

s and the

lip The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...

are small. The flowers consist essentially of the

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...

s. The flowers range in color from very light to dark red.

Pollination

''Disa'' exhibits a variety of

pollination syndrome Pollination syndromes are suites of flower traits that have evolved in response to natural selection imposed by different pollen vectors, which can be abiotic (wind and water) or biotic, such as birds, bees, flies, and so forth through a process c ...

s. Each species of ''Disa'' usually has a single species as

pollinator A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are the m ...

and nearly every available pollinating insect is employed by some species of ''Disa''. Species that adapted to the same pollinator often independently evolved a similar floral morphology which confounded the infrageneric

classification Classification is a process related to categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated and understood. Classification is the grouping of related facts into classes. It may also refer to: Business, organizat ...

of ''Disa'' until

cladistic Cladistics (; ) is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups ("clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is typically shared derived char ...

analysis was applied to

DNA sequence DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. T ...

s from this genus. Examples of

convergent evolution Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last com ...

in ''Disa'' pollination include the following: * flowers pollinated by

butterflies Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises ...

have evolved twice, for example the pollination of ''Disa uniflora'' by the Table mountain Pride Butterfly ''Aeropetes tulbaghia'' (

Satyrinae The Satyrinae, the satyrines or satyrids, commonly known as the browns, are a subfamily of the Nymphalidae (brush-footed butterflies). They were formerly considered a distinct family, Satyridae. This group contains nearly half of the known diver ...

) * flowers with conspicuous

deception Deception or falsehood is an act or statement that misleads, hides the truth, or promotes a belief, concept, or idea that is not true. It is often done for personal gain or advantage. Deception can involve dissimulation, propaganda and sleight o ...

, pollinated by

carpenter bee Carpenter bees are species in the genus ''Xylocopa'' of the subfamily Xylocopinae. The genus includes some 500 bees in 31 subgenera. The common name "carpenter bee" derives from their nesting behavior; nearly all species burrow into hard plant m ...

s, have evolved twice. * long-spurred flowers, pollinated by long-tongued

flies Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced m ...

, have evolved four times. * night-scented flowers, pollinated by

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

s, have evolved three times. ''Disa'' serves as an example of how

speciation Speciation is the evolutionary process by which populations evolve to become distinct species. The biologist Orator F. Cook coined the term in 1906 for cladogenesis, the splitting of lineages, as opposed to anagenesis, phyletic evolution withi ...

can be caused by changes in pollinator availability and evolution. Some ''Disa'' species are pollinated by

sunbird Sunbirds and spiderhunters make up the family Nectariniidae of passerine birds. They are small, slender passerines from the Old World, usually with downward-curved bills. Many are brightly coloured, often with iridescent feathers, particularly ...

s and have pollinaria that stick to the feet of the sunbirds when they perch on the

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are forme ...

Phylogeny

The first molecular phylogeny of the genus involved comparison of nuclear ribosomal ITS1, 5.8S rDNA, and

ITS2 Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) is the spacer DNA situated between the small-subunit ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and large-subunit rRNA genes in the chromosome or the corresponding transcribed region in the polycistronic rRNA precursor transcript. ...

sequences, and showed that ''

Herschelia ''Disa'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orchidaceae. It comprises about 182 species. Most of the species are indigenous to tropical and southern Africa, with a few more in the Arabian Peninsula, Madagascar, and Réunion.Hans P ...

'' and ''

Monadenia ''Monadenia'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails in the subfamily Monadeniinae. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Monadenia Pilsbry, 1895. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=ta ...

'' were nested within a

paraphyletic In taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In ...

''Disa''. In ''Genera Orchidacearum'' volume 2, ''Disa'' and ''Schizodium'' compose the

subtribe Subtribe is a taxonomic category ranking which is below the rank of tribe and above genus. The standard suffix for a subtribe is -ina (in animals) or -inae (in plants Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plan ...

Disinae Disinae is a subtribe of orchids that has been differently defined and placed in the two classification systems that are currently in use for orchids. ''Genera Orchidacearum'', which is currently the definitive work on orchid taxonomy, delimits ...

of the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...

Diseae Diseae is an orchid tribe in the subfamily Orchidoideae.. (See ''External links'' below). It was recognized in ''Genera Orchidacearum'' volume 2, which was published in 2001. It consisted of 12 genera in five subtribes. In molecular phylogenetic ...

.Alec M. Pridgeon, Phillip J. Cribb, Mark W. Chase, and Finn N. Rasmussen. 1999-2014. ''Genera Orchidacearum'' Oxford University Press. (volume 1), (volume 2), (volume 3), (volume 4), (volume 5), (volume 6). After that volume was published in 2001,

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

studies Study or studies may refer to: General * Education ** Higher education * Clinical trial * Experiment * Observational study * Research * Study skills, abilities and approaches applied to learning Other * Study (art), a drawing or series of d ...

showed that ''Schizodium'' is

nested ''Nested'' is the seventh studio album by Bronx-born singer, songwriter and pianist Laura Nyro, released in 1978 on Columbia Records. Following on from her extensive tour to promote 1976's ''Smile'', which resulted in the 1977 live album '' Sea ...

within ''Disa''.. ''Schizodium'' comprises only six species, all

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

. In a

of orchids that was published in 2015,

Chase Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England * Chase C ...

et alii placed ''Schizodium'' in synonymy under ''Disa''. They also defined the subtribe Disinae as consisting of '' Pachites'', ''Disa'' and '' Huttonaea''. This version of Disinae is probably not

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gr ...

, but was created as a holding classification, to avoid the unnecessary designation of subtribes before further studies can clarify the relationships of these three genera.

Seeds

The genus can be split into two groups based on the size of the seeds. Those with relatively large balloon-shaped seeds up to 1.5 mm long belong to the ''Disa uniflora'' group. The remaining species have seeds that are smaller than 0.7 mm. The ''Disa uniflora'' group comprises plants that grow along stream sides: '' Disa uniflora'', '' Disa tripetaloides'', '' Disa cardinalis'', '' Disa caulescens'' and '' Disa aurata''. They belong to the few species in Orchidaceae that do not rely on

mycorrhizal A mycorrhiza (from Greek μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. mycorrhizae, mycorrhiza or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the pl ...

fungi for germination, and are thought to be an adaptation to

hydrochory In Spermatophyte plants, seed dispersal is the movement, spread or transport of seeds away from the parent plant. Plants have limited mobility and rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their seeds, including both abiotic vectors, ...

. This pattern was later extended to split the genus into summer rainfall species and non-summer rainfall species. Those in the second group added '' Disa cornuta'' to the list of ''Disa'' seeds that germinate readily.

Horticulture

The species '' Disa uniflora'' is well known as an ornamental. It is a spectacular red orchid known as "The Pride of Table Mountain."PlantZAfrica.com, ''Disa uniflora'' Bergius
/ref> Other commonly cultivated species include '' Disa aurata, Disa cardinalis, Disa crassicornis, Disa racemosa, Disa sagittalis'', and '' Disa tripetaloides''.

Anthony Huxley Anthony Julian Huxley (2 December 1920 – 26 December 1992) was a British botanist. He edited ''Amateur Gardening'' from 1967 to 1971, and was vice-president of the Royal Horticultural Society in 1991. He was the son of Julian Huxley. He was ...

, Mark Griffiths, and Margot Levy (1992). ''The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening''. The Macmillan Press,Limited: London. The Stockton Press: New York. (set). Some of the species are grown only in African gardens.Eric Harley, Sid Cywes, and H. Peter Linder. 2013. ''A Disa Companion: The Art and Science of Disa Cultivation''. Author House. 123 pages. . Once very rare in cultivation, '' Disa uniflora'' is gaining in popularity as a

cut flower Cut may refer to: Common uses * The act of cutting, the separation of an object into two through acutely-directed force ** A type of wound ** Cut (archaeology), a hole dug in the past ** Cut (clothing), the style or shape of a garment ** Cut ( ...

. However, they are difficult to grow, because of the needed

mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2 ...

composition of the potting soil. Also, if exposed to excessive moisture, they can be easily killed by rot.

Hybrids

The following species have been used to create more than 400 hybrids : ''Disa cardinalis'', ''Disa caulescens'', ''Disa racemosa'', ''Disa tripetaloides'', ''Disa uniflora'', ''Disa aurata'' and ''Disa venosa''. * ''Disa ''×'' brendae'' (''D. caulescens'' × ''D. uniflora'') (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * ''Disa ''×'' maculomarronina'' (''D. hircicornis'' × ''D. versicolor'') (S. Africa).. * ''Disa ''×'' nuwebergensis'' (''D. caulescens'' × ''D. tripetaloides'') (South Africa, Cape Prov.). * ''Disa ''×'' paludicola'' (''D. chrysostachya'' × ''D. rhodantha'') (South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal).

Species

Species currently (May 2014) recognized: * '' Disa aconitoides'' (Ethiopia to S. Africa) ** ''Disa aconitoides'' subsp. ''aconitoides'' (Ethiopia to S. Africa) Tuber geophyte ** ''Disa aconitoides'' subsp. ''concinna'' (Congo to S. Trop. Africa) Tuber geophyte ** ''Disa aconitoides'' subsp. ''goetzeana'' (Ethiopia to Tanzania) Tuber geophyte * '' Disa aequiloba'' (SW. Tanzania to Angola) * '' Disa alinae'' (Congo) * '' Disa alticola'' (Mpumalanga / East-Transvaal) * '' Disa amoena'' ( Mpumalanga / East-Transvaal) * '' Disa andringitrana'' (SE. & S. Madagascar) * '' Disa aperta'' (SW. & S. Tanzania to Zambia) * '' Disa arida'' (South Africa, S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa aristata'' (S. Africa, Northern Prov.) * '' Disa atricapilla'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa atrorubens'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa aurata'' (South Africa, Cape Prov. (Swellendam) * '' Disa barbata'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa basutorum'' (S. Africa (Drakensberg) * '' Disa baurii'' (Tanzania to S. Africa) * '' Disa begleyi'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa bifida'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa biflora'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa bivalvata'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa bodkinii'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa bolusiana'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa borbonica'' (Réunion) * '' Disa brachyceras'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa bracteata'', formerly ''Monadenia bracteata'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.; naturalised in Australia) * '' Disa brevicornis'' (S. Trop. & S. Africa) * '' Disa brevipetala'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.; Kleinmond area) * '' Disa buchenaviana'' (C. & SE. Madagascar) * '' Disa caffra'' (Southern Congo to S. Africa, Madagascar) * '' Disa cardinalis'' (South Africa, S. Cape Prov.; Riversdale) * '' Disa caulescens'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa cedarbergensis'' (South Africa, Cape Prov.; Cedarberg) * '' Disa celata'' (S. Tanzania to Angola) * '' Disa cephalotes'' (S. Africa) ** ''Disa cephalotes'' subsp. ''cephalotes'' (S. Africa) Tuber geophyte ** ''Disa cephalotes'' subsp. ''frigida'' (Lesotho to KwaZulu-Natal) Tuber geophyte * '' Disa cernua'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov) * '' Disa chimanimaniensis'' (Chimanimani Mts, Zimbabwe) * '' Disa chrysostachya'' (S. Africa) * '' Disa clavicornis'' (Mpumalanga / East-Transvaal) * '' Disa cochlearis'' (South Africa, Cape Prov.; Elandsberg) * '' Disa comosa'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa conferta'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa cooperi'' (S. Africa) * '' Disa cornuta'' (Zimbabwe to S. Africa) * '' Disa crassicornis'' (S. Africa) * '' Disa cryptantha'' (Ethiopia, S. Tanzania to Zambia) * '' Disa cylindrica'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa danielae'' (S. Congo) * '' Disa densiflora'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa dichroa'' (S. Congo to Zambia) * '' Disa dracomontana'' (S. Africa (C. Drakensberg) * '' Disa draconis'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa ecalcarata'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.; Constantiaberg) * '' Disa elegans'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa eminii'' (Rwanda to Zambia) * '' Disa engleriana'' (Tanzania to Zambia) * '' Disa equestris'' (Trop. Africa) * '' Disa erubescens'' (Trop. Africa) ** ''Disa erubescens'' subsp. ''carsonii'' (Tanzania to Zambia) ** ''Disa erubescens'' subsp. ''erubescens'' (Trop. Africa) Tuber geophyte * '' Disa esterhuyseniae'' (South Africa, WSW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa extinctoria'' (South Africa; Northern Prov., Swaziland) * '' Disa fasciata'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa ferruginea'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa filicornis'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa forcipata'' (South Africa, Cape Prov.; Possibly extinct) * '' Disa forficaria'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa fragrans'' (Ethiopia to S. Africa) ** ''Disa fragrans'' subsp. ''deckenii'' (NE. & E. Trop. Africa to Congo) Tuber geophyte ** ''Disa fragrans'' subsp. ''fragrans'' (Tanzania to S. Africa) Tuber geophyte * '' Disa galpinii'' (South Africa, E. Cape Prov. to KwaZulu-Natal) * '' Disa gladioliflora'' (South Africa, S. Cape Prov.) ** ''Disa gladioliflora'' subsp. ''capricornis'' (South Africa, S. Cape Prov.) Tuber geophyte ** ''Disa gladioliflora'' subsp. ''gladioliflora'' (South Africa, S. Cape Prov.) Tuber geophyte * '' Disa glandulosa'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa graminifolia'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa hallackii'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa harveyana'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) ** ''Disa harveyana'' subsp. ''harveyana'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) Tuber geophyte ** ''Disa harveyana'' subsp. ''longicalcarata'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) Tuber geophyte * '' Disa helenae'' (Zambia) * '' Disa hians'' (South Africa, S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa hircicornis'' (Trop. & S. Africa) * '' Disa incarnata'' (C. & SE. Madagascar) * '' Disa intermedia'' (South Africa, Swaziland) * '' Disa introrsa'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.; Skurweberge) * '' Disa karooica'' (South Africa, NW. & C. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa katangensis'' (S. Congo to Angola) * '' Disa linderiana'' (South Africa, W. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa lineata'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa lisowskii'' (Congo) * '' Disa longicornu'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa longifolia'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa longilabris'' (SW. Tanzania to N. Malawi) * '' Disa lugens'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) ** ''Disa lugens'' var. ''lugens'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) Tuber geophyte ** ''Disa lugens'' var. ''nigrescens'' (South Africa, S. Cape Prov.; Oyster Bay) Tuber geophyte * '' Disa macrostachya'' (South Africa W. Cape Prov.; Rooiberg) * '' Disa maculata'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa marlothii'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa micropetala'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa miniata'' (SW. Tanzania to S. Trop. Africa) * '' Disa minor'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa montana'' (South Africa, E. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa multifida'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa neglecta'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.; Worcester) * '' Disa nervosa'' (S. Africa) * '' Disa newdigateae'' (South Africa, S. Cape Prov.; Knysna area) * '' Disa nigerica'' (Nigeria to Congo) * '' Disa nivea'' (S. Africa, S. Drakensberg) * '' Disa nubigena'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.; Devils Peak) * '' Disa nyikensis'' (Malawi to Zambia) * '' Disa obtusa'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) ** ''Disa obtusa'' subsp. ''hottentotica'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) Tuber geophyte ** ''Disa obtusa'' subsp. ''obtusa'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) Tuber geophyte ** ''Disa obtusa'' subsp. ''picta'' (South Africa, S. Cape Prov.) Tuber geophyte * '' Disa ocellata'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa ochrostachya'' (Cameroon to Tanzania and S. Trop. Africa) * '' Disa oligantha'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa ophrydea'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa oreophila'' (S. Africa) ** ''Disa oreophila'' subsp. ''erecta'' (South Africa, S. Africa; Drakensberg) Tuber geophyte ** ''Disa oreophila'' subsp. ''oreophila'' (S. Africa.) Tuber geophyte * '' Disa ornithantha'' (SW. Tanzania to S. Trop. Africa) * '' Disa ovalifolia'' (South Africa, WSW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa patula'' (Zimbabwe to S. Africa) ** ''Disa patula'' var. ''patula'' (South Africa, E. Cape Prov. to Mpumalanga / East-Transvaal) Tuber geophyte ** ''Disa patula'' var. ''transvaalensis'' (Zimbabwe to S. Africa) Tuber geophyte * '' Disa perplexa'' (Nigeria, E. & S. Trop. Africa) * '' Disa physodes'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa pillansii'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa polygonoides'' (Mozambique to S. Africa) * '' Disa porrecta'' (S. Africa) * '' Disa praecox'' (S. Trop. Africa; Nyika Plateau) * '' Disa pulchella'' (Ethiopia, Yemen) * '' Disa pulchra'' (S. Africa) * '' Disa purpurascens'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa pygmaea'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa racemosa'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa renziana'' (Congo) * '' Disa reticulata'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa rhodantha'' (Zimbabwe to S. Africa) * '' Disa richardiana'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa robusta'' (EC. Trop. Africa) * '' Disa roeperocharoides'' (S. Congo to Zambia) * '' Disa rosea'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa rufescens'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa rungweensis'' (SW. Tanzania to Malawi) * '' Disa sabulosa'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa sagittalis'' (South Africa, S. & SE. Cape Prov. to S. KwaZulu-Natal) * '' Disa salteri'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov) * '' Disa sanguinea'' (South Africa, E. Cape Prov. to S. KwaZulu-Natal) * '' Disa sankeyi'' ( S. Africa) * '' Disa satyriopsis'' (Tanzania to Zambia) * '' Disa saxicola'' (Tanzania to S. Africa) * '' Disa schizodioides'' (South Africa, S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa schlechteriana'' (South Africa, SSW. Cape Prov.; Langeberg) * '' Disa scullyi'' (South Africa, E. Cape Prov. S. KwaZulu) * '' Disa scutellifera'' (NE. & E. Trop. Africa) * '' Disa similis'' (S. Trop. & S. Africa) * '' Disa spathulata'' (South Africa, Cape Prov.) ** ''Disa spathulata'' subsp. ''spathulata'' (South Africa, Cape Prov.) Tuber geophyte ** ''Disa spathulata'' subsp. ''tripartita'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) Tuber geophyte * '' Disa stachyoides'' (S. Africa) * '' Disa stairsii'' (NE. Congo to E. Trop. Africa) * '' Disa stricta'' (S. Africa) * '' Disa subtenuicornis'' (South Africa, Cape Prov.; Riversdale) * '' Disa telipogonis'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa tenella'' (South Africa, Cape Prov.) ** ''Disa tenella'' subsp. ''pusilla'' (South Africa, W. Cape Prov.) Tuber geophyte ** ''Disa tenella'' subsp. ''tenella'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) Tuber geophyte * '' Disa tenuicornis'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa tenuifolia'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa tenuis'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa thodei'' (S. Africa, Eastern Cape to Drakensberg) * '' Disa triloba'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov) * '' Disa tripetaloides'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov. to S. KwaZulu-Natal) * '' Disa tysonii'' (South Africa, S. & E. Cape Prov. to Leshoto) * '' Disa ukingensis'' (S. Tanzania to E. Zambia) * '' Disa uncinata'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa uniflora'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa vaginata'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa vasselotii'' (South Africa, S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa venosa'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa venusta'' (South Africa, SW. & E. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa verdickii'' (S. Congo to Angola) * '' Disa versicolor'' (S. Trop. & S. Africa) * '' Disa virginalis'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa walleri'' (Burundi to S. Trop. Africa) * '' Disa walteri'' (SW. Tanzania) * '' Disa welwitschii'' (Trop. & S. Africa) ** ''Disa welwitschii'' subsp. ''occultans'' (Trop. Africa) ** ''Disa welwitschii'' subsp. ''welwitschii'' (Trop. & S. Africa) Tuber geophyte * '' Disa woodii'' (Zimbabwe to S. Africa) * '' Disa zimbabweensis'' (Manicaland, Zimbabwe) * '' Disa zombica'' (Tanzania to S. Trop. Africa) * '' Disa zuluensis'' (Mpumalanga / East-Transvaal, KwaZulu-Natal)