''Disa uniflora'', the red disa or pride of Table Mountain, is a South African species of

orchid 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. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Orchidaceae Orchids are plants that belong to the family (biology), family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan plants that ...

''. It is the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

of the genus '' Disa'', and one of its best-known members. It is occasionally referred to by its old name ''Disa grandiflora''.

Distribution

Its range is restricted to the Sandstone Mountains of the South Western Cape,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, west of

Hermanus Hermanus (; originally called ''Hermanuspietersfontein'', but shortened in 1902 as the name was too long for the postal service

Table Mountain Table Mountain (; ) is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, cableway or hik ...

and northwards into the Cederberg Mountains. It is common on Table Mountain, and the Back Table, but is rarely seen further south on the

Cape Peninsula The Cape Peninsula () of South Africa is a generally mountainous peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of Good ...

. The orchid grows near

waterfalls A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several ...

, streamlets, and seeps in the mountains. It is, however, never found along the shores of dams whose water levels vary considerably during the year.

Description

It is a fairly stout perennial 15 – 60 cm in height, spreading by

stolons In biology, a stolon ( from Latin '' stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as a runner, is a horizontal connection between parts of an organism. It may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton. Typically, animal stolons ar ...

. The leaves are lance shaped, the lower ones spreading or semi-erect up to 25 cm long. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is 1-3 flowered. The blooms are showy, and can be 10 cm across the laterally spreading

sepals 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 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

, which are scarlet to carmine in color. The middle, upright sepal is pinkish on the inside with scarlet veins. The

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s, which are very much smaller than the sepals, are erect colored yellow with red spots at their tops, but pale scarlet at their bases. It blooms during the summer months, particularly in January, but continuing into March.

Pollination

Its pollination is one of the most complex of all the orchids, involving the mountain pride butterfly, '' Aeropetes tulbaghia.'' Though unscented, the flowers attract the butterfly with its vibrant red colour and by rewarding it with nectar. This is in contrast to its congener '' D. ferruginea'' which is also exclusively pollinated by the mountain pride butterfly, but offers no nectar reward, instead attracting the butterfly by imitating species whose flowers do produce nectar.

As an emblem

The Mountain Club of South Africa The Mountain Club of South Africa (MCSA) is the largest and oldest mountaineering club in South Africa. It facilitates and engages in mountaineering, rock climbing, climbing of all types, bouldering, hiking, international expeditions, mountain ...

, the Western Province Rugby Team and the Western Province sports use the image of this species on their badges and logos. It has been the Mountain Club's logo since its founding in 1891. The flowers are also depicted on the obverse side of the Pro Merito Medal (1975).

Gallery

File:Disa uniflora (Peter Jonas Bergius 1767).jpg, ''Disa uniflora'' has been named by Peter Jonas Bergius in 1767 File:Disa uniflora column (19792867596).jpg, The

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...

of the flower corresponds to the fusion of both male and female parts File:Aeropetes1.JPG, ''Disa uniflora'' is entirely dependent on the mountain pride butterfly, '' Aeropetes tulbaghia'', for its pollination File:Disa uniflora (as Disa grandiflora) - Curtis' 70 (N.S. 17) pl. 4073 (1844).jpg, 1844 plate by

Walter Hood Fitch Walter Hood Fitch (28 February 1817 – 14 January 1892) was a botanical illustrator, born in Glasgow, Scotland, who executed some 10,000 drawings for various publications. His work in colour lithograph, including 2700 illustrations for ''C ...

from ''

Curtis's Botanical Magazine ''The Botanical Magazine; or Flower-Garden Displayed'', is an illustrated publication which began in 1787. The longest running botanical magazine, it is widely referred to by the subsequent name ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine''. Each of the issue ...

'' File:Ethel May Dixie - Disa uniflora (cropped from Protea pityphylla, Disa uniflora, Gladiolus ornatus, and Antholyza ringens).jpg, Watercolour by Ethel Dixie. File:Ethel May Dixie - Disa grandiflora (Disa uniflora).jpg, Coloured drawing by Ethel Dixie.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1601353 uniflora Endemic orchids of South Africa Taxa named by Peter Jonas Bergius