Disa walks on Table Mountain
People often ask me if spring is the best time to see the flowers on Table Mountain expecting this to be the main time the fynbos plants flower. And indeed not far from Cape Town in the Namaqualand this is indeed the case. But the fynbos plant kingdom is special for so many reasons. One is that throughout the year there are plants flowering. The mountain is never devoid of colour.
In fact, for many people, the time to head for Table Mountain is in the middle of our hot summer. At this time of year (Jan to March) we have 2 of the most famous of our plants flowering. Both are impressive and beautiful and well worth the effort.
Disa is a genus of flowering orchid of which most are found in Southern Africa. Disa Uniflora (or red disa as it is commonly called) is the representative flower of the Western Cape and is a large wonderfully impressive plant found in the small streams all over the mountain.
A collection of Disa Uniflora
Another beautiful Disa found on the mountain in the summer momths is the Disa graminifolia or blue disa. Smaller and appearing as single flowers of in much smaller clusters this is much harder to find and so less well known than its larger relative.
The delicate blue disa
Not to be outdone, the protea family also enjoys the hot summers and one of its most famous plants flowers over this time. The King Protea is South Africa’s National flower and is huge as well as beautiful
The King Protea
So whether you are a plant enthusiast or not. Come for a hike on Table Mountain. At any time of year you will be amazed by the variety of colour and plants up there.
