Disa uniflora, the "Pride of Table Mountain"
D. uniflora is the best-known and most desirable of the five Disa species considered here. It is fairly widespread along streams and waterfalls in the mountains of the Western Cape. Its name is misleading, since in cultivation it can produce multiple flowers, up to 4" (10 cm) across, on a single stem. Different wild populations of D. uniflora, being largely isolated from each other, exhibit different characteristic stem lengths and flower colors. Thus they are found in various shades of red, pink and orange. The flower color is due to two main types of pigment, anthocyanins and carotenoids. The carotenoid pigments supply yellow hues, while the anthocyanins, which tend to predominate, provide the reds, pinks and oranges. Rare mutant forms, pale yellow in color, sometimes occur in nature and have been introduced into cultivation. These alba forms contain no anthocyanin. |
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