|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
|||||||||
| THE ORCHID FAMILY | |||||||||
| The orchid family is easily recognizable
because of the unique structures of the flower. There are usually three
sepals and three petals, similar to other petaloid monocots; however, the
sepals often look like the two side petals. The middle petal is called the
labellum or lip and is usually highly modified. The lip can be pouch-like,
have appendages or be coloured differently than the rest of the perianth.
The stamens, style, and stigma are fused together to form the column. There
is usually one functional anther with two pollen sacs that contain masses
of pollen called pollinia. The stigma is usually a sticky surface at the
tip or beak of the column. The ovary is long and can be seen below the sepals
and petals. Orchid flowers can be very bright and large, which makes them popular ornamental plants. This family is well represented in the tropics. Saskatchewan has several orchid species, most of which are quite small. |
|||||||||
| WHITE LADY’S-SLIPPER | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Cypripedium candidum | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| White lady’s-slipper can grow as tall as 40 cm, though it is usually less than 30 cm. The stem has three or four leaves placed at about the middle of the stem. The leaves and stem are usually somewhat covered in glandular hairs. The flowers are solitary and have large leaf-like bracts. The flowers are fragrant. The sepals and petals are green to brownish-yellow and are spotted or striped with reddish-brown. The sac-like lip is white with purple veins on the inside. The staminode is on a slender stalk and is yellow with red spots. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| White lady’s-slipper is found in open meadows and prairies. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in southeastern Saskatchewan in the Aspen Parkland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| White lady’s-slipper is endangered because of rarity in Saskatchewan. It is restricted to one location in the province. Immediate or probable threats have been identified. This species has not been located in Saskatchewan for several years and may have been extirpated from the province. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY WHITE LADY’S-SLIPPER | |||||||||
| *Are the sepals and petals green to brownish-yellow
with reddish-brown markings? * Is the lip white with purple veins on the inside? * Are there three or four stem leaves? * Did you find in southeastern Saskatchewan? |
|||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found white lady’s-slipper! | |||||||||
