California lady slipper, California lady's-slipper
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cypripède, lady slipper, lady's-slipper, moccasin-flower, sabot de la vierge
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Plants erect, 25–120 cm. |
Herbs, perennial. |
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closely to widely spaced along rhizome, slender, fleshy; rhizomes short to elongate. |
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leafy or scapose. |
5–10, along length of stem, alternate, ascending to spreading; blade elliptic-lanceolate to broadly elliptic, 5–16 × 1.5–6.5 cm. |
alternate, in single radical pair, or subopposite near midpoint of stem, ascending to spreading, plicate, bases sheathing stem. |
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terminal, solitary; flowers solitary or 2–several in lax racemose spike; bracts large, foliaceous. |
3–18(–22); sepals yellow-green to pale brownish yellow; dorsal sepal elliptic, 14–20 × 7–13 mm; lateral sepals connate almost to apex; synsepal 12–20 × 10–12 mm; petals spreading, same color as sepals or more yellowish, linear-oblong to linear-lanceolate, flat, 14–16 × 3–5 mm; lip white, sometimes pinkish, obovoid, 15–20 mm; orifice basal, 11–14 mm; staminode suborbicular-subauriform. |
resupinate, showy; sepals distinct or lateral sepals usually connate proximal to lip forming synsepal; petals entire; lip inflated, slipper- or sac-shaped, with adaxial orifice; pollinaria absent; loose granular pollen in 2 lateral anthers, dorsal anther a large subapical staminode; stigma free, 2–3-lobed. |
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capsules, ellipsoid to oblong-ellipsoid. |
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Flowering May–Jun. |
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Forest openings, especially on steep slopes, in seeps, springy marshes |
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0–1600 m (0–5200 ft) |
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CA; OR
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Primarily temperate Eurasia and North America; ranging from arctic to subtropics in East Asia and Cordilleran North America and Central America |
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Species ca. 45 (12 in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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1. Lip orifice a longitudinal fissure, length of lip; leaves 2, radical, stem a leafless scape. | C. acaule |
1. Lip orifice basal, 4–37 mm; leaves 2–several, cauline. | → 2 |
2. Lip appearing angular, adaxial surface swollen near middle, apex abruptly deflected downward; lateral sepals distinct. | C. arietinum |
2. Lip not angular, slender slipper-shaped to globose sac, apex not deflected; lateral sepals connate or nearly distinct. | → 3 |
3. Leaves 2, subopposite to alternate, near midpoint of stem (very rarely, leaves 3, closely alternate near midpoint of stem); lip prominently marked reddish or brownish between veins. | → 4 |
3. Leaves 3 or more (very rarely 2), alternate on basal to middle portion of stem or along length; lip yellow, ivory, or white, without extensive markings between veins. | → 6 |
4. Flowers (1–)2–4 in short nodding spike, dull yellow to reddish brown or dark purple, lip mostly 8–14(–25) mm. | C. fasciculatum |
4. Flowers solitary, erect, white to yellowish or greenish, mottled with pink or brownish; lip 15–30 mm. | → 5 |
5. Petals slightly shorter than to equaling globose to obovate lip, constricted near apex, lanceolate-subpandurate in general outline; markings pink to magenta. | C. guttatum |
5. Petals much shorter than oblance-fusiform to oblance-ovate lip, constricted near middle, acuminate-subpandurate to pandurate in general outline; markings brownish or tan. | C. yatabeanum |
6. Petals flat, oblong to ovate, unmarked, white or green, yellow-green, or brownish. | → 7 |
6. Petals spirally twisted or undulate (rarely flat), linear-lanceolate, or rarely linear-oblong, spotted and striped (sometimes minutely so) or suffused with darker reddish brown or madder on yellowish or greenish ground color (rarely without markings). | → 9 |
7. Flowers large; lip 25–53 mm. | C. reginae |
7. Flowers small; lip 11–20 mm. | → 8 |
8. Plants usually less than 35 cm; flowers 1(–2); lateral sepals nearly distinct to connate almost to apex. | C. passerinum |
8. Plants usually much more than 35 cm; flowers 3–18(–22); lateral sepals connate almost to apex. | C. californicum |
9. Lip orifice 27–37 mm; flowers very large; lip (41–)53–65 mm, ivory to pale yellow. | C. kentuckiense |
9. Lip orifice usually less than 23 mm (rarely to 27 mm, then lip deep yellow); flowers smaller; lip mostly 15–45 mm (rarely to 54 mm, then lip deep yellow), white or yellow. | → 10 |
10. Lip white, rarely suffused with magenta; staminode lanceoloid or oblong-lanceoloid to ellipsoid. | → 11 |
10. Lip white or yellow; staminode cordiform-ovoid, deltoid to lance-ovoid, or ovoid-oblong (rarely staminode narrower or ellipsoid, then lip yellow). | → 12 |
11. Sepals and petals green or yellowish, usually spotted and striped with reddish brown or madder; dorsal sepal 15–35 mm; leaves lanceolate or elliptic to oblanceolate, ascending from insertions toward base or middle of stem. | C. candidum |
11. Sepals and petals suffused with reddish brown or madder; dorsal sepal 33–60 mm; leaves suborbiculate to ovate or elliptic-lanceolate, ascending to spreading, inserted toward base or scattered along stem. | C. montanum |
12. Lip white, 19–33 mm; sepals and petals suffused with reddish brown or madder, often intensely so (very rarely clear green), long and slender; dorsal sepal 33–60 mm, ratio of length to width 2.5–6.5; cordilleran. | C. montanum |
12. Lip yellow (very rarely white), 15–54 mm; sepals and petals suffused with reddish brown or madder or more commonly spotted and striped (often minutely so), rarely unmarked, short and broad to long and slender; dorsal sepal 19–80 mm, ratio of length to width 1.3–3.7; widespread. | C. parviflorum |
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FNA vol. 26, p. 503. |
FNA vol. 26, p. 499. Author: Charles J. Sheviak. |
Orchidaceae > subfam. Cypripedioideae > Cypripedium |
Orchidaceae > subfam. Cypripedioideae |
C. acaule, C. arietinum, C. candidum, C. fasciculatum, C. guttatum, C. kentuckiense, C. montanum, C. parviflorum, C. passerinum, C. reginae, C. yatabeanum |
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C. acaule, C. arietinum, C. californicum, C. candidum, C. fasciculatum, C. guttatum, C. kentuckiense, C. montanum, C. parviflorum, C. passerinum, C. reginae, C. yatabeanum |
A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 7: 389. (1868) |
Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 951. (1753): Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 408. (1754) |
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