Disas of the fynbos

Know them and grow them

by Jim Holmes

T
he Cape is a botanical paradise, with high rugged mountains
stretching down to the sea, and a rich biodiversity of plants.
Taking advantage of the countless ecological niches here,
special plants have survived for centuries, escaping the glacial periods
that ravaged much of the Northern Hemisphere.
The fynbos (directly translated from the Afrikaans as ‘fine bush’ ) is a
distinctive vegetation type, dominated by proteas, ericas and restios.
It occurs mostly in the Cape and almost exclusively on nutrient- poor
soils. Many of the species in the fynbos are endemic (found nowhere
else) and this includes the disas, the largest group of orchids in the
fynbos. This mirrors the rest of Africa, where the Disa genus also
represents the majority of orchid species.
All orchids in the Western Cape (including disas) are terrestrial
(growing on the ground ) where they inhabit a wide range of habitats
from open sandy areas at sea-level to high mountain peaks, often
near seeps or rock ledges or in running water. Many have restricted
distribution and specialized habitat requirements. The spectacular
Pride of Table Mountain or Red Disa (Disa uniflora) is one of the most
beautiful of all terrestrial orchids in the world.
The Disa genus contains the widest range of species, with the most
TOP: Yellow Disa (Disa aurata).
diverse flower forms and colour range of any southern African orchid RIGHT: Lilac Disa (Disa harveiana).
family. Blue is considered one of the rarest colours in the orchid world, bottom left: Disa Veitchii, the first disa hybrid
which was a cross between the Red Disa (Disa
yet there are many species of blue disas. uniflora) and the Vlei Disa (Disa racemosa),
Most orchids around the world are easily recognizable by their large flowering in Helmut Meyer’s glasshouse in
Stellenbosch in 1993.
showy lips, which is often the defining feature of the flower. This is BOTTOM RIGHT: The rare Disa marlothii.
not the case with disas, where the lip (labelum) is often very tiny, and below: The Red Disa (Disa uniflora), also
known as Flower of the Gods or Pride of Table
instead, the top petal is formed into a hood with a spur on the back. Mountain.
This gives the Disa flower its distinctive shape and character. Photos: Jim Holmes.
To complicate things further, the group known as ‘blue disas’, which
were previously called Herschelia, consists of some 16 species which
often have both the hood on top and showy lips, sometimes taken to
the extreme. The Green-bearded Disa (Disa lugens) may have a very
frilly showy lip, and Oupa-met-sy-pyp (Disa multifida) can have a lip
five times longer than the flower with a frill at the bottom, whereas
other species such as Disa salteri, has a spur standing up from the back
of the hood, several times longer than the flower itself.
The majority of disas in the Western Cape tend to grow at higher
elevations, and only those who hike the mountains are likely to see
them. Many are very specific in their choice of habitat.

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 A closely allied group of orchids to the disas are the satyriums.
One way to distinguish them is to look closely at the flowers.
Disas have one spur at the back of the hood, and the saytriums
have two spurs. Satyriums can be very common, and are often
seen growing with disas.

Cultivating disas
A small handful of disas have been used in the breeding of
hybrids, with Disa uniflora, D. racemosa and D. tripetaloides being
the first species used. Most of the disas in cultivation today are
hybrids that have been bred using these three species, which
belong to a small group of evergreen, summer-growing species
from the Western Cape that grow in permanently moist to wet
conditions, along streams and seeps. They grow in spring and
flower during the hot, dry summer.
The majority of disas species in the Western Cape do the
opposite, growing during the winter and flowering during spring.
In summer they enter a total rest period.
The first Disa hybrid was made in England by Harry J. Veitch,
and registered in 1891. It was the cross between Disa uniflora and
D. racemosa, and named Disa Veitchii. The hybrid was made again
in 1962 by K.C. Johnson of Somerset West. This was the start of
the Disa breeding that saw the development of dozens of new
hybrids over the next 20 years or more. Most of this breeding
took place in the Western Cape. Helmut Meyer of Stellenbosch
is considered the ‘father’ of the hybrid disas as he was one of the
first to cultivate them successfully.
The disas in cultivation now are still mostly hybrids between
the evergreen Western Cape species, which include Disa uniflora, ABOVE: Green-bearded Disa (Disa lugens).
D. racemosa, D. tripetaloides and D. cardinalis. The deciduous Photo: Jim Holmes.
TOP LEFT: Oupa-met-sy-pyp Disa (Disa
majority of Disa species that have a dry resting period during multifida). Photo: Jim Holmes.
the summer have proven difficult to cultivate, and are not used LEFT: Blue Disa (Disa graminifolia).
Photo: Jim Holmes.
very much. BELOW: The blue Drip Disa (Disa longicornu).
All wild disas are protected by law. Photo: Tyrone Genade.

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