Disa patula Sond. 1846 SECTION Trichochila
Plant in situ Zimbabwe Photos by Bart Wursten ©, and his Flora Of Zimbabwe WebSite
LATE 
Common Name The Broad Disa
Flower Size .8" [2 cm]
Found in Zimbabwe, Cape, Natal, Orange Free State and Transvaal South Africa as well as Swaziland in montane grasslands at elevations up to 2400 meters as a medium sized, cold growing terrestrial orchid with testicular tubers giving rise to an erect fertile stem carrying imbricating, lanceolate, acute leaves that blooms in the late spring on an erect, slender, terminal, 2 to 10" [5 to 25 cm] long, many flowered inflorescence.
Synonyms Disa patula var. transvaalensis Summerh. 1938; Disa stenoglossa Bolus 1889
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Linder, Schelpe & Hall 1982; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidaceae Part 1 Pope 1995 as D patula var transvaalensis; Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzweil 1999; A molecular phylogeny for the large African orchid genus Disa Bytebier 2006; Field Guide to the Orchids of Northern South Africa and Swaziland McMurty, Grobler, Grobler & Burns 2008 photo fide;
Disa patula var. transvaalensis Summerh. 1938 Photo courtesy of © Lourens Grobler
LATE EARLY 
Differs from the type in having a shorter dorsal sepal and a longer spur and extends it's range into Zimbabwe, as the type only occurs in South Africa. It occurs at elevations of 1000 to 2100 meters as a medium sized, cold growing terrestrial that blooms in the late spring and early summer
Synonyms Disa gerrardii Rolfe 1913
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Linder, Schelpe & Hall 1982 photo fide; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidaceae Part 1 Pope 1995; Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzweil 1999 photo fide; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Part 1 Pope 1995; A molecular phylogeny for the large African orchid genus Disa Bytebier 2006; Field Guide to the Orchids of Northern South Africa and Swaziland McMurty, Grobler, Grobler & Burns 2008 photo fide; Terrestrial African Orchids, A select Review John S. Ball 2009 drawing fide; Orchid Digest Vol 77 #3 2013 photo fide;
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
