Large Yellow Lady Slipper (Cypripedium parviflorum)

Appearance/ID tips:

Perennial with pubescent stems and leaves; stem 20-80 cm. Leaves alternate, clasping/sheathing stem, oval to lance-ovate, 6-20 cm long, half as wide. Flowers 1-2, each subtended by an erect foliaceous bract; lip inflated, bright yellow, often purple-veined; lateral petals red-purple, long-lanceolate, usually twisted.

Flowers late May to June

Wetland indicator: Facultative Wetland Species

Natural History(range, habitat etc): Swamps and boggy woods.

Bogs, swamps, moist to wet woods. Slightly acid to neutral pH, sometimes on limestone. Plants in the north can be found in open areas.

Conservation Status:

Declining and listed as Exploitably Vulnerable in NY.       

This is one of the most widely distributed lady’s slippers but by no means common; can be quite abundant where growing conditions are favorable. Reputed to be easier to grow in a garden setting than many other orchids, although it is best (and most ethical) to use greenhouse grown plants since transplanting can disrupt mycorrhizal associations; orchids transplanted from the wild often perish.