Native Plant of the Week: Large Yellow Lady's Slipper ~ Cypripedium parviflorum

Large Yellow Lady's Slipper ~ Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens 

Visiting central Ontario this week, the Large Yellow Lady's Slippers were in flower. This particular cluster grows on some land that my family donated to a conservation group.

This particular habitat is a Sugar Maple/American Beech woodland upland from a lake. Below the upland area is a White Cedar low land which is perennially wet with natural springs.

The large Yellow Lady Slipper is a fairly common Lady's Slipper species, growing in mesic woodlands in shade to dappled shade.

Flowering in late spring after the tree canopy has leafed out, (end of May into June),  the six parted orchid flowers form a pouch resembling a 'slipper' or 'moccasin'.

It is one of the easier Lady Slippers to grow if you purchase one from a native plant or orchid nursery. Be sure it comes from a reputable source and has not been dug from the wild. We purchased one for our yard that was grown by tissue culture and came with a certificate of authenticity.

There can be variability in the color and size of the flower. A smaller, lighter yellow flowering cluster was located down-slope in a sunnier location.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

See map below for native range.