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infestation (Photo: Michael Moerkerk)
habit (Photo: Michael Moerkerk)
stem and leaves (Photo: Michael Moerkerk)
elongated flower cluster (Photo: Michael Moerkerk)
flowers (Photo: Michael Moerkerk)
close-up of flowers (Photo: Michael Moerkerk)
Scientific Name
Disa bracteata Sw.
Synonyms
Monadenia bracteata (Sw.) T. Durand & Schinz
Family
Orchidaceae
Common Names
African orchid, African weed orchid, African weed-orchid, brown finger orchid, monadenia, South African orchid, South African orchid weed, South African weed orchid
Origin
Native to southern Africa (i.e. Cape Province in South Africa).
Naturalised Distribution
Widely naturalised in southern Australia (i.e. widespread in south-western Western Australia and south-eastern South Australia and present at several locations in Victoria). Also recently reported from Tasmania (i.e. from one site along a roadside near Bridport in north-eastern Tasmania).
Notes
This species is regarded as a significant environmental weed in Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria, and as a potential environmental weed in Tasmania. Two Natural Resource Management regions recently listed it as a priority environmental weed and it is actively managed by community groups in some areas.
South African weed orchid (Disa bracteata) invades native bushland and competes with and replaces the native ground flora. It therefore has the potential to impact on rare and endangered plants in the understorey. It invades conservation areas (e.g. the Lower Glenelg National Park in Victoria and Kaiserstuhl Conservation Park in South Australia) and develops underground tubers that make it difficult to eradicate.
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