Proceedings. 181 



with few and slightly pendulous flowers ; and D. uniflora 

 (Berg.) stands out in the magnitude of its flowers, nearly 

 solitary, but occasionally with two or even three on one 

 footstalk. We can trace the links this very distinct plant 

 bears to its other associates through D. macrantha 

 (Thunberg), D. racemosa (Linn. /.) = secunda (Thunb.) 



" The following letters may be interesting, as showing 

 the effect in the minds of two botanists, already surfeited 

 with strange plant forms, who visited Table Mountain 

 together, over fifty years ago, to gather this orchid for the 

 first time. In March, 1838, the late Dr. W. H. Harvey 

 wrote from Cape Town to N. B. Ward, Esq : — * 



" You will be glad to hear that I have found a very pleasant 

 botanical friend in a Mr. Bunbury, who has come out with General 

 Napier on a pleasure tour. It is quite refreshing to meet a real 

 botanist after so long a fast. We were up Table Mountain last 

 week just in time to gather the last remaining flowers of Disa 

 grandiflora. When I have my (Wardian) case made, I shall 

 attempt to put Disa grandiflora in its natural circumstances, and 

 try whether it will blossom with more success. If you have living 

 plants of it at Loddiges' perhaps you may wish to know what the 

 natural localities of this plant are. First, as all the world knows, 

 it grows on the summit of Table Mountain, and nowhere else. 

 This summit is very frequently enveloped in mist, especially at the 

 season when the Disa blossoms. But it is very cold also, and the 

 mist comes accompanied with a strong S.E. wind. After this 

 succeeds the scorching sun of Lat. 33. So much for general circum- 

 stances : the particular ones are, that the plant only grows along 

 the steep, boggy, spongy margins of a stream which has water in it 

 at all seasons, but which in winter must be so swollen as to cover 

 the plant. Here, the margin is completely clothed with the Disa 

 to the exclusion of other plants. But immediately beyond the 

 Disa is a margin of Restios, which, growing taller than the Disa 

 and bending over the stream, afford considerable shade to the 

 roots and leaves, at the same time that they leave the flower stalks 

 room to peep out at the sun and exhibit their large blossoms. 



* Memoir of Dr. Harvey, London, Bell & Dalcly, 1869, pp. 102, 103. 



