Wikimedia Commons
Orchidaceae
Pink Lady's Slipper
Cypripedium acaule
Rare beauty, patience, and elusive charm.
- Family
- Orchidaceae
- Genus
- Cypripedium
- Native to
- eastern North America
- Bloom season
- Late Spring, Early Summer
- Type
- terrestrial orchid
- Height
- 15–40 cm
- Sunlight
- part shade to full shade
- Soil
- acidic, humus-rich, moist
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 3–8
- Lifespan
- perennial; can live 20+ years
Did you know
- It takes 10 to 17 years for a pink lady's slipper to bloom for the first time from seed.
- The pouch-shaped lip traps bees inside, forcing them past the pollen structures — a one-way door pollination system.
- It cannot survive transplanting because it depends on a specific soil fungus that feeds the roots.
- It is the provincial flower of Prince Edward Island, Canada, and is protected by law in many US states.
- Despite producing thousands of dust-like seeds per capsule, fewer than one in a million germinate successfully.
Color meanings
Pink
hard-won elegance
Magenta
wild mystery