Orchidaceae
Orchid Family
Cypripedium candidum Muhl. ex Willd.
- Stem: perennial; 6” to 12” tall; lower stem sheathed with leaves; smooth.
- Leaves: alternate; oval, tapering to both ends, sheathing the stem; 4” by 1”; smooth above and below.
- Inflorescence: single flower at the tip of the flower stalk, carried above the leaves; an upright leaf attached just below the flower; the flower stalk hairy above.
- Flowers: “slipper” (lower petal) white with purple lines within, 3/4” long; upper two petals greenish, linear, about 1” long; sepals greenish, upper sepal 1 1/4” by 1/4”, lower two sepals linear, about 1” long; with inferior ovary; flowering from early to late May.
- Fruits: capsule, cylindrical, 1” by 5/16” in diameter, one chamber; fruiting begins in mid-June; many tiny seeds.
- Habitat: very uncommon on moist prairies; also known from fens; an endangered species in Iowa.
- Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
- Vascular Plants of Iowa
