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Cypripedium acaule Aiton

Pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassLiliopsidaMonocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family
SubclassLiliidaeIncludes lilies, orchids, and many others
OrderAsparagalesA diverse group that includes asparagus
FamilyOrchidaceaeOrchid family
GenusCypripediumLatinization (albeit an incorrect one) of ancient Greek words meaning “Venus’ shoe”
SpeciesacauleFrom Latin for “stemless,” from the leafless stem of this species

About plant names...

These delicate North American natives, now considered endangered in Canada and rare or endangered in many parts of the United States, appear occasionally in the woods near our camp on Sebago Lake in Maine. As children, coming upon one in the woods was a magical experience. The flowers are stunningly beautiful, yet fragile looking. We knew they were rare and could not be transplanted. (Now botanists know that transplantation fails because lady’s slippers have a symbiotic relationship with a fungus in the soil.) We never dreamed of picking them or disturbing them. We simply admired them as they are and gave them a wide berth.

Plants: Plants consist of two long narrow leaves coming directly from the ground (basal), with a central flower stalk.

Leaves: The two dark green leaves are each about 6-12″ (15-30 cm) long and 1-2″ (2.5-5 cm) wide. They have parallel veins.

Flowers: A bare stalk supports a single delicate, pink, slipper-shaped flower, 1½-2″ (3.8-5 cm) long and about ¾″ (1.9 cm) around at its widest point. The color can range from nearly white to dark pink. There is an opening at the top of the flower, completing the resemblance to a slipper. (Cypripedium is Greek for “Aphrodite’s shoe.”) A “cap,” composed of a modified leaf and two sepals, appears over the flower.

Online References:

Orchids.fandom.com

Earl J.S. Rook's Flora, Fauna, Earth, and Sky ... The Natural History of the Northwoods

Www.botany.wisc.edu

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

The Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

Wildflowers of the United States

EFloras

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

6/3/2018 · Mt. Watatic, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

6/1/2014 · Oak Hill, Littleton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 16 cm)

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

6/7/2014 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 11 × 7″ (28 × 18 cm)

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

5/28/2021 · Brunswick Commons, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm)

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

4/27/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 9 × 14″ (23 × 35 cm) ID is uncertain

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

5/12/2016 · Wildlife Pond Trail, Beaver Broo, Hollis, New Hamp­shire

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

6/1/2014 · Oak Hill, Littleton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 15 cm)

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

They aren't usually this pale-colored. · 5/28/2021 · Brunswick Commons, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 16 cm)

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

5/16/2016 · Oak Hill, Littleton, Mass­a­chu­setts

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

5/24/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (11 × 16 cm)

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

5/26/2018 · Burge’s Pond, Westford, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

5/21/2014 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 28 cm)

Cypripedium hirsutum Mill., nom. utique rej.

Fissipes acaulis (Aiton) Small

Fissipes hirsuta (Mill.) Farw., nom. utique rej.

 

Cypripedium acaule description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 11 Jul 2023.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.


 

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

5/25/2023 · Maquoit Bay Conservation Land, Brunswick, Maine

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

5/28/2017 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Wildflower Trail, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

5/28/2018 · Oak Hill, Littleton, Mass­a­chu­setts

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

6/8/2005

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

5/20/2021 · Eaton Farm Preserve, Wiscasset, Maine · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 15 cm)

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

5/13/2012 · Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest, Lowell, Mass­a­chu­setts

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

5/13/2012 · Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest, Lowell, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 27 cm)

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

4/15/1979 · Memphis, Ten­nes­see · By Tim Chandler

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

6/8/1985 · Mackworth Island, Falmouth, Maine

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

5/5/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 3½ × 5″ (9.2 × 13 cm)

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

5/28/2021 · Brunswick Commons, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

5/29/2011 · Frenchman Bay Conservancy, Hancock County, Downeast, Maine · By Susan Cole Kelly

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

5/28/2021 · Brunswick Commons, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)

Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper, moccasin flower, lady’s slipper)

5/5/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 12 × 17″ (29 × 44 cm)

Range:

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