A new species of orchid with beetroot-red leaves and a white flower has been discovered growing just below the summit of the highest peak in the Cederberg Mountains.
A member of the genus Disa, the orchid was first spotted and photographed in 2004 by a CapeNature field ranger, Jonah Zimri, and two of his colleagues during a survey on the upper slopes of the 2026-metre high Sneeuberg.
A follow-up trip discovered a population of 35 to 40 of the flowers above 1 800 metres, just below the summit.
In a statement on Wednesday, CapeNature said the new species was currently being studied, and would be named Disa linderiana in honour of local botanist Peter Linder, who had produced many scientific papers on orchids in general and the genus Disa in particular.
The new orchid's location has surprised botanists.
"Strangely enough, most species in this group of disas flower only in the first year after fire, yet this area last burned in 1998.
"Even more strange, the leaves of this new species are almost beetroot-red, a feature sometimes seen in disas that flower soon after a fire," Cape Nature said.