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Orchidaceae
Lady's Slipper Orchid
Cypripedium reginae
Capricious beauty, feminine grace, hidden treasure.
- Family
- Orchidaceae
- Genus
- Cypripedium
- Native to
- North America, Europe, Asia
- Bloom season
- Late Spring, Early Summer
- Type
- Terrestrial orchid
- Height
- 30–80 cm
- Sunlight
- Part shade
- Soil
- Moist, neutral to alkaline, humus-rich
- Water
- Moderate
- Hardiness
- 3–7
- Lifespan
- Very long-lived; some over 100 years
Did you know
- The pouch-shaped lip of a lady's slipper is a clever insect trap — bees fall in, can only escape through a narrow exit, and brush against pollen on their way out.
- Cypripedium reginae is the state flower of Minnesota and is one of the showiest hardy orchids in the world.
- Lady's slippers can take 16 years from seed to first bloom, partly because the seeds need a specific soil fungus to germinate.
- It's illegal to dig wild lady's slippers in many states — they almost never survive transplanting and populations are slow to recover.
- The genus name Cypripedium means 'Venus's slipper' in Greek, and the lady of the name is the Roman goddess of love.
Color meanings
Pink
Quiet enchantment