Cypripedium reginae Walt.
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TAXONOMY
 
Family: Orchidaceae
Genus: Cypripedium
 
Species Synonyms: none
Common Names: showy lady’s-slipper
 
DISTRIBUTION
 
Canada: east-central Saskatchewan – Manitoba – west and southern Ontario – eastern Quebec – Newfoundland – Nova Scotia
Saskatchewan: east-central Saskatchewan
Ecoregion: Aspen Parkland
 
HABITAT
 
Saskatchewan: moist woods
Canada: calcareous swamps, bogs, moist woods, and shores
 
RARITY STATUS
 
Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):
Endangered
Nature Conservancy Status:
G5 S1
Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:
None
COSEWIC Status:
None
 
Showy lady’s-slipper is endangered because of rarity in Saskatchewan. It is highly regionally restricted in the province and is almost always locally sparse. Immediate or probable threats have been identified.
 
SPECIES DESCRIPTION
 
Height: 20 – 80 cm
Roots: rhizomes large
Stems: leafy, erect, densely hairy
Leaves: one the stem, alternate, ascending to spreading, 3 – 9, along the length of stem, 10 – 25 cm long, 0.6 – 1.5 cm wide, elliptic to oval, folded, ribbed, densely hairy
Inflorescence: flowers 1 – 3, short-stalked; bracts 6 – 12 cm long, lance-shaped to elliptic
Flowers: sepals white, upper sepal elliptic to nearly round, side sepals fused and the product slightly smaller than the upper sepal; petals 2.5 – 4 cm long, 0.5 – 1.5 cm wide, flat, white; lip 2.5 – 3.5 cm wide, rounded, white, with pale pink to crimson around opening and sometimes extending to cover most of lip; sterile stamen stout-stalked, 1 – 2 cm long, ovate, white with rose, pink, or yellow spots
Fruits: capsule
Other: hairs on the leaves and stems sometimes irritating to the skin
 
CYPRIPEDIUM KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN
 
1 Leaves 2, basal or sub-basal
C. acaule
1 Leaves at least 3, on the stem
2
   
2 Lateral sepals distinct; lip irregularly triangular
C. arietinum
2 Lateral sepals at least partially fused; lip rounded
3
   
3 Lip yellow
4
3 Lip white or pink, but with coloured veins
6
 
4 Sepals oval; lip 1 – 2 cm long
C. passerinum
4 Sepals lance-shaped; lip 2 – 5 cm long
5
 
5 Lower surface of distal sheathing bract sparsely hairy; lip 2 – 3 cm long; strongly sweet scented
C. parviflorum var. makasin
5 Lower surface of distal sheathing bract silvery hairy; lip 2 – 5 cm long; musty to rose scented
C. parviflorum var. pubescens
 
6 Sepals and petals white; petals flat; lip white or pinkish
C. reginae
6 Sepals greenish to brown or purple, petals white to brown-purple or greenish and twisted; lip white or ivory
C. candidum