Stemless Lady's-slipper

Description:

A single flower atop long slender, finely bristly stem with a large, showy sack-like lower lip (the slipper), 1½ to 2½ inches long, inflated with a deep cleft running down the front, covered in fine bristles. Color ranges from pale pink, sometimes nearly white, to rich pink with deeper colored intricate veining. Central flower column is brownish red. Lateral petals are narrow, brownish green with visible striping, twisting slightly, densely bristly on upper-inner surface. Sepals similar in color to petals, broader with the two lateral fused behind the slipper, the third forming a hood above it. A leaf-like bract, green and bristly, about the same size as sepals ascends up and forward over the thickened ovary and upper sepal. Leaves and stem: Leaf attachment: basal Leaf type: simple The 2 basal leaves are finely bristled textured, elliptical, 3½ to 9 inches long, 1 to 3½ inches wide, with many conspicuous parallel veins, and sheathe the bristly hairy stem. Fruit is an ascending capsule that ripens to brown, and contains thousands of tiny seeds.

Habitat:

Part shade, sun; dry to wet forests, swamps, bogs, acidic soil