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Cressler, Alan

Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens

Cypripedium parviflorum Salisb. var. pubescens (Willd.) Knight

Greater Yellow Lady's Slipper, Large Yellow Lady's Slipper

Orchidaceae (Orchid Family)

Synonym(s): Cypripedium calceolus var. planipetalum, Cypripedium calceolus var. pubescens, Cypripedium furcatum, Cypripedium planipetalum, Cypripedium pubescens, Cypripedium pubescens var. pubescens

USDA Symbol: cypap3

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), AK (N), CAN (N), SPM (N)

Borne terminally on a leafy stalk are 1 or 2 fragrant flowers with an inflated, yellow, pouch-shaped lip petal.

The Yellow Lady's Slippers form a highly variable population, and currently the large and small forms are regarded as separate species. The Small or Lesser Yellow Lady's Slipper (C. parviflorum), has very fragrant flowers, a lip petal only 3/4-1 1/2" (2-3.8 cm) long, brownish lateral petals, and a height of about 22" (55 cm). It is found mostly in limestone wetlands, only rarely as far south as the Appalachian mountains. Cherokee people made a preparation from the roots of these plants that was drunk as a treatment for worms.

From the Image Gallery

22 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Up to about 3 feet tall.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow , Brown
Bloom Time: Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug

Distribution

USA: AK , AL , AR , AZ , CA , CO , CT , DC , DE , GA , IA , ID , IL , IN , KS , KY , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , MT , NC , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NY , OH , PA , RI , SC , SD , TN , TX , UT , VA , VT , WA , WI , WV , WY
Canada: AB , BC , MB , NB , NL , NS , NT , ON , PE , QC , SK
Native Distribution: Newfoundland, south to mountains of Georgia; most of midwest, Great Lakes, and Plains states; in south west to Arizona and California, north to Pacific Northwest.
Native Habitat: Bogs and swamps, rich woods.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Mt. Cuba Center - Hockessin, DE

Bibliography

Bibref 946 - Gardening with Prairie Plants: How to Create Beautiful Native Landscapes (2002) Wasowski, Sally

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-04-24
Research By: TWC Staff

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