Disa Cornuta

[Des]

Have a good look at this Orchid folks , as it is possibly one of the last times you will see it growing in the veld . one of its last habitats is to be plowed over for a new housingcomplex.

[cb977]

Thanks for sharing that, Des...what a beautiful sight!
A shame that it will be destroyed

[Shirley]

Very lovely! That's sad news, Des. Isn't there any activity as far as propagating it?

[Des]

Hi Shirley ,We just harvested some seed and I will give it a try , But it is one of those plants that does not take to growing in a pot . We also think that it might have some sort of symbiotic relationship with the fynbos that grows around it. I have also moved one into my garden ,but it seems as though they don't take kindly to being moved either It has been a very difficult and stubborn plant to try and help

[snow]

its verry disheartning to have to lose another ochid habitat due to a developement
i wish you all the luck on trying to keep the transplants alive

[Tindomul]

Thanks for posting this. What is the locality of this habitat?

[RoyalOrchids]

All in the name of "progress".

Gorgeous plant! Let us know how it does. I'm waiting to hear the local environment answer too. May give some hints as to what it likes. Lots of times rescued terrestrials that "don't like transplanting" really just don't like their new and different conditions. Find out what supports their growth and mimic that, even if it sounds strange.

[Des]

I am waiting to have a book returned , which I have loaned to a friend. This book gives its exact range in SA . It grows in and around Port Elizabeth here on the South Eastern coast of SA I am lucky enough to have a few growing in the veld a few hundred metres from my home , and it is this lot that will soon be history if i cant save them It will be like losing some very old friends, I have tried over the last few years to move a few to my garden , but so far they have not survived .There is also a pretty orange Satyrium which grows in the same area ,but they seem to be more plentiful .

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I'm interested in growing Disa cornuta from seed as well.

Does Disa cornuta grow in partial sun or full sun?

What kind of plants are growing in the fynbos where Disa cornuta grows other than the Satyrium? If you know the genus of some of the flowering plants there it would be of great help or even the scientific names of some of the grasses there.

How close are the neighboring plants to it? Are the grasses growing within millimeters of Disa cornuta, centimeters, inches, or feet?

What kind of soil does it grow in? Are you able to take a soil sample and check what it's contents are? Does it grow in sand (brown or tan)? Organic compost (if it's organic it will look black or coffee brown)? Clay maybe (red to reddish-brown, grayish, or maybe yellow)? Perhaps silt? Or a combination? Maybe something else? Could it have a little bit of beach sand mixed in? If there's beach sand are the particles shells and coral, or do they also have quartz and silica in it (glass like particles), or maybe particles of volcanic rocks (black sand beaches).

Are there rocks or pebbles in the soil? What kind of rocks or pebbles are they? Could it be limestone or any kind of calcium based rock (since it's near the coast)? Granite? Volcanic rocks? Maybe little sandstones?

Does it grow in grass/leaf litter and not much deeper than that surface? Or does it grow IN the soil itself?

Is the soil constantly moist throughtout the year? Is it seasonally dry? What is the season with the heaviest rainfall? Does it grow near moving water (like a river, or a stream)? Does it grow near standing water (like a puddle, a pond, or a lake)? Does it grow on the edge of a marsh, swamp, or wetland? Does it flood when it rains? Does it snow on the fynbos?

Can you find Disa cornuta along paved roadsides? How about unpaved?

How windy is it there at Port Elizabeth, South Africa?

How close to the beach is the fynbos Disa cornuta grows in?

Are there moss growing around where Disa cornuta grows? Lichens? Mushrooms? Fungus? Molds? Anything rotting? Do you find tiny white hairy fungus on the roots or tubers of this plant (mycorhizzal fungus)?

Does the fynbos experience fire (example: seasonal burning grasslands)?

How about the day time and night time averages for each season of the year, what are they?

Is Disa cornuta an evergreen plant? Does Disa cornuta go deciduous (leaves dry up and fall off)? If so, usually around when? Does it grow a flower spike when the leaves are gone or do they grow flowers when there are still leaves? Again, if so, around when? Or does it have no flowers AND no leaves during a certain part of the season? Yet again, if so, when?

Do you know the blooming season of Disa cornuta?

I don't mean to play what seems like a game of 20 questions, but I'm finding these factors to be crucial in successfully growing plants, especially terrestrial orchids. The more SPECIFIC info people know, the better people can inform someone who grows orchid seeds from flask to perhaps truly save Disa cornuta from being endangered or extinct.

[Des]

Wow , that is a comprehensive list of questions . I am going to print it out and will work on the answers as best as I can . I will get back to you in due course
Des