Lady Slippers

Family = Orchidaceae
Genus = Cypripedium

Included Species =
C. acaule
C. calceolus
C. californicum
C. fasciculatum
C. flavum
C. formosanum
C. guttatum
C. himalaicum
C. irapeanum
C. lichiangense
C. macranthon
C. margaritaceum
C. passerinum
C. pubescens
C. reginae
C. segawai
C. yatabeanum

Cross referenced against the National Center for Biotechnology Information's Taxonomy Browser.

Lady Ygraine asked me, "Are Lady Slippers really orchids?"
Good question! Yes, the Lady Slippers are orchids, belonging to the family Orchidaceae.

They are typically terrestrial orchids that prefer the moist, highly organic leaf litter of temperate forest floors, as opposed to living in the trees as many of their tropical cousins do.

Many are endangered or protected and the harvesting or transplanting from wild sources may be illegal in your area. Many of the genus are also dependent upon fungal mycorrhizae in the soil that interlace with the plant's roots and aid in the absorbtion of nutrients. This makes transplanting them difficult, many die within the first couple of years after being relocated.

Most of genus attract bees for pollination by giving off a nectar-like scent, but do not actually produce any nectar. Once the disappointed bee is inside the 'slipper' part of the flower and finds no nectar, it leaves along one of two channels near the rear of the flower. While squeezing through either of these two openings, the bee's back is covered with the flower's pollen, which it takes to the next flower in its search for the non-existent nectar. Seems like a cruel trick in my opinion. Perhaps the bees catch on to this trick after a few visits, which could be one of the many elements that makes this plant so vulnerable to mankind's trespassings.

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perryp@plantkingdom.com