''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 th ...

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 flowering ...

. 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 appropriate s ...

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

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

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,

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 Africa ...

, and Réunion.Hans Peter Linder and Hubert Kurzweil. 1999. ''Orchids of Southern Africa''. 504 pages. A. A. Balkema. . ''

Disa bracteata ''Disa bracteata'', also known as ''South African weed orchid is a species of orchid native to South Africa. It is one of the few orchid species which has become naturalized in Australia. It was first recorded in Western Australia in 1944, in Sou ...

'' 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 th ...

, 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 Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

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 exclu ...

s grow from a fleshy

tuberous root Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing s ...

which is a

source Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute o ...

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. 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 mechani ...

s are solitary or arranged in racemes. The petals 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 and nearly every available pollinating insect is employed by some species of ''Disa''. Species that

adapted In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

to the same pollinator often independently evolved a similar

floral 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 mechanism ...

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines * Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts * Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies ...

which confounded the infrageneric classification 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 sequences 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 have evolved twice, for example the pollination of ''Disa uniflora'' by the Table mountain Pride Butterfly ''Aeropetes tulbaghia'' ( Satyrinae) * flowers with conspicuous deception, 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 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 A pollinium (plural pollinia) is a coherent mass of pollen grains in a plant that are the product of only one anther, but are transferred, during pollination, as a single unit. This is regularly seen in plants such as orchids and many species of mil ...

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 Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

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. I ...

sequences, and showed that '' Herschelia'' and '' Monadenia'' were nested within a paraphyletic ''Disa''. In ''Genera Orchidacearum'' volume 2, ''Disa'' and ''Schizodium'' compose the subtribe Disinae 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 confli ...

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 phylogenet ...

.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 Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, news ...

in 2001, molecular phylogenetic studies 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 '' Seas ...

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 Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. In a classification of orchids that was

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 Co ...

et alii placed ''Schizodium'' in

synonymy A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

under ''Disa''. They also defined the subtribe Disinae as consisting of ''

Pachites ''Pachites'' is a genus of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It contains two known species, both endemic to South Africa.Hans Peter Linder and Hubert Kurzweil. 1999. ''Orchids of Southern Africa''. 504 pages. A. A. Balkema. .Kew ...

'', ''Disa'' and ''

Huttonaea ''Huttonaea'' is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It contains 5 known species, all native to southern Africa (South Africa and Lesotho Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked a ...

''. This version of Disinae is probably not monophyletic, 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 uniflora'', the red disa or pride of Table Mountain, is a South African species of orchid in the family ''Orchidaceae''. It is the type species of the genus ''Disa'', and one of its best-known members. It is occasionally referred to by it ...

'', ''

Disa tripetaloides ''Disa tripetaloides'' is a species of orchid that grows along the edges of streams in South Africa. This is one of the smaller species in the genus ''Disa'' in the section ''Disa''. There are populations that come from the winter-rainfall areas ...

'', ''

Disa cardinalis ''Disa cardinalis'' is a species of orchid found in South Africa ( S. Cape Prov. - Riversdale). References External links * * * cardinalis ''Cardinalis'' is a genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae. There are three species rangi ...

'', '' Disa caulescens'' and ''

Disa aurata ''Disa aurata'' is a species of orchid found in Swellendam area of Cape Province, South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south ...

''. 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 pla ...

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 ''

'' 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 crassicornis, Disa racemosa, Disa sagittalis'', and ''

''.

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 A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

.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, ''

'' 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 Potting soil or growing media, also known as potting mix or potting compost (UK), is a substrate used to grow plants in containers. The first recorded use of the term is from an 1861 issue of the ''American Agriculturist''. Despite its name, lit ...

. 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 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 th ...

'' ( Mpumalanga / East-Transvaal) * '' Disa andringitrana'' (SE. & S. Madagascar) * '' Disa aperta'' (SW. & S. Tanzania to Zambia) * ''

Disa arida 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 th ...

'' (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.) * ''

'' (South Africa, Cape Prov. (Swellendam) * '' Disa barbata'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa basutorum'' (S. Africa (Drakensberg) * ''

Disa baurii 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 th ...

'' (Tanzania to S. Africa) * ''

Disa begleyi 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 th ...

'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * ''

Disa bifida 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 th ...

'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * ''

Disa biflora 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 th ...

'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa bivalvata'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * ''

Disa bodkinii 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 th ...

'' (South Africa, SW. & S. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa bolusiana'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa borbonica'' (Réunion) * '' Disa brachyceras'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * ''

'', 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 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 th ...

'' (Southern Congo to S. Africa, Madagascar) * ''

'' (South Africa, S. Cape Prov.; Riversdale) * '' Disa caulescens'' (South Africa, SW. Cape Prov.) * '' Disa cedarbergensis'' (South Africa, Cape Prov.; Cedarberg) * ''

Disa celata 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 th ...

'' (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 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 th ...

'' (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 ''Disa draconis'' is a species of orchid found in South Africa (SW Cape Province The Province of the Cape of Good Hope ( af, Provinsie Kaap die Goeie Hoop), commonly referred to as the Cape Province ( af, Kaapprovinsie) and colloquially as ...

'' (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 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 th ...

'' (Tanzania to Zambia) * ''

Disa equestris 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 th ...

'' (Trop. Africa) * ''

Disa erubescens 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 th ...

'' (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) * ''

'' (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.) * ''

'' (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)