Cypripedium

Cypripedium
	Showy lady's slipper; (Cypripedium reginae)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Orchidaceae
Subfamily:	Cypripedioideae
Genus:	Cypripedium; L., 1753
Type species
	Cypripedium calceolus; L., 1753
Synonyms
	Arietinum Beck; Calceolaria Heist. ex Fabr., not to be confused with Calceolaria L.; Calceolus Mill.; Ciripedium Zumagl.; Criogenes Salisb.; Criosanthes Raf.; Cypripedilon St.-Lag. in A.Cariot; Fissipes Small; Hypodema Rchb.; Sacodon Raf.; Schizopedium Salisb.;

Cypripedium is a genus of 58 species and nothospecies of hardy orchids; it is one of five genera that together compose the subfamily of lady's slipper orchids (Cypripedioideae). They are widespread across much of the Northern Hemisphere, including most of Europe and Africa (Algeria^[2]) (one species), Russia, China, Central Asia, Canada the United States, Mexico, and Central America.^[1]^[3]^[4]^[5] They are most commonly known as slipper orchids, lady's slipper orchids, or ladyslippers; other common names include moccasin flower, camel's foot, squirrel foot, steeple cap, Venus' shoes, and whippoorwill shoe. An abbreviation used in trade journals is "Cyp." The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek Κύπρις (Kúpris), an early reference in Greek myth to Aphrodite, and πέδιλον (pédilon), meaning "sandal".^[6]

Most of Cypripedium grow in temperate and subtropical climates, but some species grow in the tundra in Alaska and Siberia, which is an unusually cold habitat for orchids. Other species occur well into tropical areas such as Honduras and Myanmar.^[1]

Some of the northern species can withstand extreme cold, growing under the snow and blooming when the snow melts. But, in the wild, some have become rare and close to extinction, due to an ever shrinking natural habitat and over-collection, people prizing the flowers for their beauty. Several species are legally protected in some regions. In the late 20th century, only a single known plant of Cypripedium calceolus survived in Britain.

Characteristics

The Cypripedium are terrestrial and, as with most terrestrial orchids, the rhizome is short and robust, growing in the uppermost soil layer. The rhizome grows annually with a growth bud at one end and dies off at the other end. The stem grows from the bud at the tip of the rhizome. Most slipper orchids have an elongate erect stem, with leaves growing along its length. But the mocassin flower or pink lady's slipper (Cypripedium acaule) has a short underground stem with leaves springing from the soil. The often hairy leaves can vary from ovate to elliptic or lanceolate, folded (plicate) along their length. The stems lack pseudobulbs.

The inflorescence is racemose. It can carry one to twelve flowers, as in Cypripedium californicum. But most species have one to three flowers. There are three sepals, with, in most species, the two lateral ones more or less fused. The flower has three acute petals with the third a striking slipper-shaped lip, which is lowermost. The sepals and the petals are usually similarly colored, with the lip in a different color. But variations on this theme occur. The aspect of the lip of different species can vary a great deal. As with all orchids, it is specially constructed to attract pollinators, which it traps temporarily. The flowers show a column with a unique shield-like staminode. The ovary is 3-locular (with three chambers).

Taxonomy

Comparison between a DNA-analysis and the morphological characteristics in this genus has shown that there is a high degree of divergence between the two, probably due to long periods of isolation or extinction of intermediate forms. The Eurasian species with yellow or red flowers form a distinct group from the North American species with yellow flowers. The Mexican Pelican Orchid (Cypripedium irapeanum) and the California lady's slipper (Cypripedium californicum) are probably the first diverging line. They share several similarities with their sister group Selenipedium.

Species and natural hybrids

There are 58 currently recognized species and nothospecies (naturally occurring hybrids) recognized in this genus, as of May 2014:^[1]

Subgenus Cypripedium

Section	Name	Distribution
Acaulia	Cypripedium acaule – Mocassin flower, Pink lady's slipper, Two-leaved lady's slipper	C. and E. Canada, NC & E USA
Arietinum	Cypripedium arietinum – Ram's-head lady's slipper	C & E Canada, NC & NE USA
Arietinum	Cypripedium plectrochilum	N Myanmar to SC China
Bifolia	Cypripedium guttatum – Spotted lady's slipper	European Russia to Korea, Alaska to Yukon
Bifolia	Cypripedium yatabeanum	Russian Far East to N & NC Japan, Aleutian Islands to SW Alaska
Cypripedium	Cypripedium calceolus – Yellow lady's slipper	Europe to Japan, Algeria
	Cypripedium candidum – Small white lady slipper	SE Canada, NC & E USA
	Cypripedium cordigerum – Heart-Lip lady's slipper	N Pakistan to Himalaya, S Tibet
	Cypripedium farreri	China
	Cypripedium fasciolatum	China
	Cypripedium henryi – Henry's lady's slipper	C China
	Cypripedium kentuckiense – Kentucky lady's slipper, Southern lady's slipper	C & E USA
	Cypripedium montanum – Large lady's slipper, Mountain lady's slipper, White lady's slipper, Moccasin flower	Alaska to California
	Cypripedium parviflorum Salisb. – (Greater) yellow lady's slipper, moccasin flower, or hairy yellow ladyslipper	Canada, E USA
	Cypripedium segawai	EC Taiwan
	Cypripedium shanxiense	China to N Japan
Eniantopedilum	Cypripedium fasciculatum – Brownie lady's slipper, Clustered lady's slipper	W USA
Flabellinervia	Cypripedium japonicum – Japan lady's slipper	China, Korea, Japan
Flabellinervia	Cypripedium formosanum – Formosa lady's slipper	C Taiwan
Macrantha	Cypripedium calcicola	China
	Cypripedium franchetii – Franchet's lady's slipper	C & SC China
	Cypripedium himalaicum	SE Tibet to Himalaya
	Cypripedium ludlowii	SE Tibet
	Cypripedium macranthos – Large-flowered lady's slipper	E Belarus to temperate E Asia
	Cypripedium taibaiense	China
	Cypripedium taiwanalpinum	Taiwan
	Cypripedium tibeticum	Sikkim to C China
	Cypripedium yunnanense	SE Tibet, China
Retinervia	Cypripedium elegans	E Nepal to China
	Cypripedium debile – Frail lady's slipper	Japan, Taiwan, China
	Cypripedium palangshanense	China
Sinopedilum	Cypripedium bardolphianum	China
	Cypripedium forrestii	China
	Cypripedium micranthum	China
Trigonopedia	Cypripedium daweishanense (S.C.Chen & Z.J.Liu) S.C.Chen & Z.J.Liu (2005)	Yunnan, China South-Central
	Cypripedium fargesii	China
	Cypripedium lentiginosum	China
	Cypripedium lichiangense S.C.Chen & P.J.Cribb	China (SW Sichuan, NW Yunnan), NE Myanmar
	Cypripedium malipoense S.C.Chen & Z.J.Liu	Yunnan, China South-Central
	Cypripedium margaritaceum – Pearl-white lady's slipper	China
	Cypripedium sichuanense	China
	Cypripedium wumengense	China (NE. Yunnan)

Subgenus Irapeana

Section	Name	Distribution
Irapeana	Cypripedium californicum – California lady's slipper	Oregon, N. California
	Cypripedium conzattianum	Mexico (Colima)
	Cypripedium gomezianum	Mexico (Colima)
	Cypripedium luzmarianum	Mexico (Jalisco, Michoacán)
	Cypripedium molle	Mexico
	Cypripedium dickinsonianum	Mexico (S Chiapas) to Guatemala
	Cypripedium irapeanum – Pelican Orchid, Irapeao lady's slipper	Mexico to Honduras
	Cypripedium susanae	Mexico (Nayarit)
Obtusipetala	Cypripedium flavum – Yellow lady's slipper	SE Tibet, SC China
	Cypripedium passerinum – Franklyn's lady's slipper, small white Northern lady's slipper, sparrow's egg lady's slipper	Alaska to Canada, Montana
	Cypripedium reginae Walter – Large white lady's slipper, Queen's lady's slipper, showy lady's slipper	C & E Canada, E. USA
Subtropica	Cypripedium subtropicum	SE. Tibet
Subtropica	Cypripedium wardii	SE. Tibet, China

Natural Hybrids

Scientific name	Common Name	Distribution
Cypripedium × alaskanum	C. guttatum × C. yatabeanum	Alaska
Cypripedium × andrewsii	C. candidum × C. parviflorum var. pubescens	E Canada, NC & NE USA
Cypripedium × catherinae	C. macranthon × C. shanxiense	Russian Far East
Cypripedium × columbianum	C. montanum × C. parviflorum var. pubescens	W Canada, NW USA
Cypripedium x herae	C.parviflorum x C.reginae	Manitoba, Canada
Cypripedium × ventricosum	C. calceolus × C. macranthos	Russia to Korea
Cypripedium × wenqingiae	C. farreri × C. tibeticum	China

Uses

The genus has a long history of use, dating back 2,500 years to the Far East, where they were used medicinally.

Conservation

Several orchid species thought to be extinct in the United Kingdom including one native species in this genus have been found in habitat and are currently the subject of aggressive conservation efforts to protect and restore these showy plants to their native ranges.^[7]

Awards

The following have received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:-

Cypripedium formosanum^[8]
Cypripedium Hank Small gx^[9]
Cypripedium Michael gx^[10]
Cypripedium reginae^[11]
Cypripedium Sabine gx^[12]

References

Phillip Cribb & Peter Green (1997). The Genus Cypripedium (a botanical monograph). Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Timber Press ISBN 0-88192-403-2
Pridgeon, A.M.; Cribb, P.J.; Chase, M.W. & F. N. Rasmussen (1999): Genera Orchidacearum Vol.1, page: 114 ff., Oxford U. Press. ISBN 0-19-850513-2

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Cypripedium". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
^ Walid, Nemer & Rebbas, Khellaf & Krouchi, Faiza. (2019). Découverte de Cypripedium calceolus (Orchidaceae) au Djurdjura (Algérie), nouvelle pour l’Afrique du Nord. Flora Mediterranea. 29. 207-214. 10.7320/FlMedit29.207.
^ "Cypripedium calceolus". Altervista Flora Italiana.
^ Chen, Xinqi; Cribb, Phillip J. "Cypripedium". Flora of China – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
^ Sheviak, Charles J. (2002). "Cypripedium". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 26. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
^ "Meet The Ladies: The Slipper Orchids". USDA Forest Service. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
^ Jowit, Juliette (3 August 2010). "Ghost orchid comes back from extinction". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
^ "Cypripedium formosanum". RHS. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
^ "Cypripedium Hank Small gx". RHS. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
^ "Cypripedium Michael gx". RHS. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
^ "Cypripedium reginae". RHS. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
^ "Cypripedium Sabine gx". RHS. Retrieved 5 May 2020.

External links

Media related to Cypripedium at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Cypripedium at Wikispecies
Cypripedium - Infos by Mr. Frosch
Photos of Chinese Slipper Orchids
Cypripedium japonicum Cypripedium macranthum var. hotei-atsumorianum Images of Japanese Cypripedium
Cypripedium picture database

[bessame-1] "Cypripedium". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

[2] Walid, Nemer & Rebbas, Khellaf & Krouchi, Faiza. (2019). Découverte de Cypripedium calceolus (Orchidaceae) au Djurdjura (Algérie), nouvelle pour l’Afrique du Nord. Flora Mediterranea. 29. 207-214. 10.7320/FlMedit29.207.

[3] "Cypripedium calceolus". Altervista Flora Italiana.

[4] Chen, Xinqi; Cribb, Phillip J. "Cypripedium". Flora of China – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

[5] Sheviak, Charles J. (2002). "Cypripedium". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 26. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

[6] "Meet The Ladies: The Slipper Orchids". USDA Forest Service. Retrieved 1 June 2015.

[7] Jowit, Juliette (3 August 2010). "Ghost orchid comes back from extinction". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 June 2015.

[8] "Cypripedium formosanum". RHS. Retrieved 5 May 2020.

[9] "Cypripedium Hank Small gx". RHS. Retrieved 5 May 2020.

[10] "Cypripedium Michael gx". RHS. Retrieved 5 May 2020.

[11] "Cypripedium reginae". RHS. Retrieved 5 May 2020.

[12] "Cypripedium Sabine gx". RHS. Retrieved 5 May 2020.

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