Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center


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Aquatic and Wetland Vascular Plants of the Northern Great Plains

Cypripedium L. -- Ladyslipper

Erect plants from coarsely fibrous roots, with rather broad, cauline leaves and 1 or 2 large showy flowers on each stem; stems simple, usually clumped in groups of few to several. Flowers terminal each subtended by a foliaceous bract; lateral sepals resembling the lateral petals in color and texture, connate to form a single, apically bidentate or entire appendage below the lip, upper sepal similar to the lower appendage but with an entire apex; lateral petals free and spreading, lip much inflated and pouchlike, projecting forward; column bent over the orifice of the lip, stamens 2, one on each side of the column, a petaloid staminode projected forward over the column and exceeding it; ovary elongate and curved.

Lead	Characteristic	Go To
1	Lip yellow.	C. calceolus
1	Lip predominantly white, with pink or purple markings.	Lead 2
2	Sepals and lateral petals white; lip 3-5 cm long.	C. reginae
2	Sepals and lateral petals greenish; lip 1.5-2 cm long.	C. candidum

69. Orchidaceae, the Orchid Family

2. Cypripedium L. -- Ladyslipper

1. Cypripedium calceolus L. -- Yellow ladyslipper

2. Cypripedium candidum Muhl. -- White ladyslipper.

3. Cypripedium reginae Walt. -- Showy ladyslipper

Return to Family -- Orchidaceae - The Orchid Family
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