Cypripedium reginae Walter

Showy lady's slipper (en), Cypripède royal (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Asparagales > Orchidaceae > Cypripedium

Characteristics

Plants erect, 21–90 cm. Leaves 3–9, along length of stem, alternate, ascending to spreading; blade broadly elliptic to ovate or elliptic-lanceolate, 10–27 × 5–16 cm. Flowers 1–3(–4); sepals white; dorsal sepal suborbiculate to ovate-orbiculate, 25–45 × 18–42 mm; lateral sepals connate, synsepal 24–42 × 15–37 mm; petals spreading, same color as sepals, oblong to elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, flat, 25–47 × 6–17 mm; lip white, usually suffused around orifice and variably beyond with pale pink to crimson magenta, subglobose-obovoid, 25–53 mm; orifice basal, 18–28 mm; staminode cordiform-ovoid to ovoid-lanceoloid. 2n = 20.
More
Stem leafy, 4–10 dm, hirsute; lvs elliptic-oval, 1–2 dm, half as wide, clasping, strongly ribbed, hairy; fls 1–3; sep white, round-oval, obtuse, 2.5–4 × 1–3 cm, the lower 2 completely united; lateral pet white, flat, oblong, nearly as long as the sep but much narrower; lip 3–4 cm, white or suffused with pink, irregularly streaked with rose or purple outside and marked with purple inside; 2n=20. Swamps, bogs, and wet woods; Nf. and Que. to N.D., s. to N.C., Ga., and Mo. June, July. (C. hirsutum)
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 0.8 - 1.0
Mature height (meter) 0.36 - 0.95
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light 4-6
Soil humidity 4-7
Soil texture -
Soil acidity 3-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 4-9

Usage

Uses medicinal
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by divisions.
Mode divisions
Germination duration (days) 30 - 365
Germination temperacture (C°) 18 - 21
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -35
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Cypripedium reginae leaf picture by Thierry Thierry Bessière (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Cypripedium reginae flower picture by brian parish (cc-by-sa)
Cypripedium reginae flower picture by George Annette (cc-by-sa)
Cypripedium reginae flower picture by Steve Chapman (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Cypripedium reginae world distribution map, present in Canada, Czech Republic, France, Micronesia (Federated States of), Malaysia, Nicaragua, and United States of America

Conservation status

Cypripedium reginae threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:75385-2
WFO ID wfo-0000935633
COL ID 33J7M
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 761967
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Calceolus reginae Cypripedium album Cypripedium canadense Cypripedium spectabile Cypripedium reginae f. album Cypripedium reginae f. reginae Cypripedium reginae var. album Cypripedium hirutum f. album Cypripedium reginae f. albolabium Cypripedium spectabile var. album Cypripedium reginae