Cypripedium candidum Muhl. ex Willd.
White lady’s slipper
White lady’s slipper is an increasingly rare native of North America. Please don’t pick them or try to transplant them!
Plants: These small, rare, delicate plants are 4–14″ (10–35 cm) tall.
Leaves: 2-4 roughly oval-shaped leaves 1¾–6″ (5–15 cm) long.
Flowers: Each stem supports a single white slipper-shaped flower, sometimes with purple markings, 1–4″ (3–11 cm) long. Flowers appear from late May to early June.
Fruits: An oblong-elliptic capsule containing numerous tiny seeds.
Habitats: Bogs and fens, wet alkaline meadows.
Online References:
5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 10″ (23 × 24 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Liliidae | Includes lilies, orchids, and many others |
| Order | Asparagales | A diverse group that includes asparagus |
| Family | Orchidaceae | Orchid family |
| Genus | Cypripedium | Latinization (albeit an incorrect one) of ancient Greek words meaning “Venus’ shoe” |
| Species | candidum | From Latin for “shining white” |
Cypripedium candidum description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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