Lady Slipper

Description:

Unlike most other members of "Cypripedium", the pouch of C. acaule opens in a slit that runs down the front of the labellum rather than a round opening. The plant consists of two plicate leaves near the ground. From between those leaves sprouts a long, pubescent stalk that bears a single pink flower. The sepals and petals tend to be yellowish-brown to maroon with a large pouch that is usually some shade of pink but can be nearly magenta. The white pouched-green petaled forma alba can occasionally be found mixed in with normal populations.

Habitat:

C. acaule can be found in the eastern third of the United States and north into Canada, coming very close to the Arctic circle. This widespread species can be found in a wide variety of environments, from coastal plains, to pine barrens, to mountaintops.

Notes:

Found while hiking along the AT. May have been over 50 plants in this one small area.