sarahwetterer 的最愛

Possible Disa hybrids?

The three photos are all of different individuals. The plants are approximately 300-400 mm tall with long and narrow grass-like leaves. Each plant bore 2 or 3 open flowers, with flowers ranging in colour from white to purplish-blue. The beard of these orchids are quite prominent, and varied in colour from pale-green to dark mauve. I would like to know whether these orchids could possibly be hybrids between Disa lugens var. lugens and Disa hians, or whether these are just specimens of either of these species.

UPDATE: This subpopulation was more than likely impacted by the construction of the Redhouse-Chelsea Arterial road construction.

Terrestrial or lithophytic. Plants 15-70 cm. Pseudobulbs conic, 0.7-2, 1.2-2 cm in diameter, clustered, rooting from base. Stem cylindric, 3-6 cm, slender, sheathed. Leaves elliptic-lanceolate, 4-25 X 0.7-1.5 cm, petiole short, apex acute. Inflorescence slender, with tubular sheaths; 5-22 flowered, non-resupinate. Sepals connate in basal half forming a 0.7-1.2 cm long tube, apical half free; dorsal oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 0.7-1 X 0.2-0.4 cm, apex obtuse; lateral ovate, 0.5-0.8 X 0.4-0.6 cm, apex acute. Petals oblong-oblanceolate, as long as dorsal sepal, falcate, apex acute. Lip adnate to base of column, mouth slightly 3-lobed. Floral bracts ovate, very short.