Disa cryptantha Summerh.

A terrestrial herb 3–5 dm. high, glabrous except for the roots.. Tubers ovoid or carrot-shaped, 1.5–3 cm. long, ± 1 cm. in diameter, shortly tomentose or almost glabrous.. Roots slender, flexuous, pubescent.. Sterile stems up to 3–4 cm. long, with several red-spotted or tinged overlapping sheaths and 1 leaf at the apex; leaf linear, acute, ± 16 cm. long, scarcely 5 mm. broad.. Flowering stems erect, slender, covered by the sheathing leaves; leaves 9–10, the lowest short, sheath-like, the remainder adpressed to the stem with the apices somewhat spreading, lanceolate, acuminate, the largest 4–7 cm. long, ± 1 cm. broad.. Inflorescence 7–10 cm. long, ± 2 cm. in diameter, rather closely 15–30-flowered.. Bracts leafy, relatively large and almost covering the flowers, lanceolate, acuminate, 1.8–3 cm. long, overtopping the flowers.. Flowers suberect, flesh-coloured to crimson with dark spots of the same colour; ovary with pedicel straight, 12–13 mm. long.. Dorsal sepal erect, broadly ovate or elliptical-ovate, obtuse, convex, spurred nearly at the base, just over 4 mm. long, 3–4 mm. broad, the spur pendent, cylindrical, ± 3 mm. long; laterals spreading, oblong or lanceolate-oblong, ± 5 mm. long and 3.5 mm. broad.. Petals erect, obovate in general shape, shortly 2-lobed on the inner margin, altogether nearly 5 mm. long and 3.5 mm. broad, the front lobe broad and rounded, the back lobe much smaller and shorter, triangular, acute, ± 1 mm. long and broad.. Lip pendent, linear, 4–5 mm. long, ± 0.5 mm. broad.. Anther slightly incurved, ± 3 mm. high.. Stigma nearly orbicular with 3 grooves radiating from the centre, ±1.5 mm. in diameter.