South African Orchid - Disa bracteata
This orchid is not native to Australia and is a very persistent weed, colonising disturbed ground readily. If you are like me, you tend to think orchids are inoffensive plants and are welcome where-ever they grow. However this one is nothing of the kind and in sandy areas can spread like wildfire, so if you come across one, pull it out before it becomes established. The roots usually come out intact, but there is always an oval tuber that can break off to grow again, so this needs to be removed too.
As they are a very fleshy orchid (they look a bit like asparagus when young) they can survive for a number of days when pulled and the fine seed can mature quickly, so best to place the orchid and tuber in a bag and burn in an incinerator. A very distinctive orchid and should not be confused with any other.
