Cypripedium calceolus

Cypripedium calceolus
Cypripedium calceolus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Cypripedioideae
Genus: Cypripedium
Species: C. calceolus
Binomial name
Cypripedium calceolus
L. (1753)
Synonyms
  • Cypripedium boreale Salisb. (1796)
  • Cypripedium ferrugineum Gray (1821)
  • Cypripedium atsmori C. Morren (1851)
  • Cypripedium cruciatum Dulac (1867)
  • Cypripedium alternifolium St.-Lag. (1880)
  • Cypripedium microsaccos Kraenzl. (1913)

Cypripedium calceolus is a lady's-slipper orchid, and the type species of the genus Cypripedium.

It is a widespread plant worldwide, found from Europe east through Asia to the Pacific Ocean. It is found in open woodland on moist calcareous soils. It is found in continental Europe growing in the decomposed humus of semi-shaded woodland cover on limestone. It has declined over much of the European part of its range, and as a result is legally protected in a number of countries.

In Britain it was formerly a reasonably widespread plant across northern England, particularly the limestone area of the Yorkshire Dales.[1] By the late 20th century it had declined to just a single plant in one location in the dales.[2] While the virtual extinction of the Lady's-slipper orchid from its historical range in Britain is often blamed on uprooting by gardeners and botanists, it is also the case that its preferred habitat shrunk markedly with human clearance of woodland from the limestone landscape, and the grazing of sheep will have finished it off.[3] A reintroduction program for the Lady’s-slipper orchid is in place,[4][5] and has led to a population of hundreds of plants as of 2003.[6]

The Norwegian municipality of Snåsa has a Cypripedium calceolus in its coat-of-arms.

In Pavel Ivanovich Melnikov's "In the Forests", a znakharka (Russian wise woman) calls this Adam's head, Adam's grass, and Cuckoo's slippers and says it's good for every ill including driving away evil spirits.

Cypripedium calceolus sensu stricto ("in the strict sense") does not occur in North America. The closely related Cypripedium parviflorum and C. pubescens are often still referred to as subspecies or variety of C. calceolus.

References

  1. ^ Endangered Plants, Jan Čeřovský (1995) ISBN 1-85778-101-5
  2. ^ LADY’S-SLIPPER ORCHID Cypripedium calceolus SPECIES ACTION PLAN yorkshiredales.org.uk
  3. ^ Britain’s Rare Flowers, Peter Marren (1999) ISBN 0-85661-114-X
  4. ^ Lady’s-Slipper Orchid Cypripedium calceolus Species Action Plan Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority
  5. ^ Re-Introduction Project - Lady's-Slipper, Conservation in action, Britain's Orchids, A guide to the identification and ecology of the wild orchids of Britain and Ireland, David Lang and Natural England
  6. ^ Phillip Cribb (July 2003). "Orchid Research Newsletter No. 42". http://www.kew.org/herbarium/orchid/orn42.html. 
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Western marsh orchid (1989) | Pyramidal orchid (1990) | Green-winged Orchid (1991) | Listera ovata (1992) | Military Orchid (1993) | Fen orchid (1994) | Bee Orchid (1995) | Cypripedium calceolus (1996) | Bug Orchid (1997) | Marsh Helleborine (1998) | Lizard Orchid (1999) | Red Helleborine (2000) | Autumn Ladies'-tresses (2001) | Bird's-nest Orchid (2002) | Fly Orchid (2003) | Frog Orchid (2004) | Burnt orchid (2005) | Broadleaf Helleborine (2006) | Southern Marsh Orchid (2008) | Early Purple Orchid (2009) | Cypripedium calceolus (2010) |
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