Cypripedium
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Cypripedium is a genus of 58 species and nothospecies of hardy orchids; it is one of five genera that together compose the subfamily of lady's slipper orchids (Cypripedioideae). They are widespread across much of the Northern Hemisphere, including most of Europe and Africa (Algeria<ref>Walid, Nemer & Rebbas, Khellaf & Krouchi, Faiza. (2019). Découverte de Cypripedium calceolus (Orchidaceae) au Djurdjura (Algérie), nouvelle pour l’Afrique du Nord. Flora Mediterranea. 29. 207-214. 10.7320/FlMedit29.207.</ref>) (one species), Russia, China, Central Asia, Canada the United States, Mexico, and Central America.<ref name="bessame">Template:WCSP</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:EFloras</ref><ref>Template:EFloras</ref> They are most commonly known as slipper orchids, lady's slipper orchids, or ladyslippers; other common names include moccasin flower, camel's foot, squirrel foot, steeple cap, Venus' shoes, and whippoorwill shoe. An abbreviation used in trade journals is "Cyp." The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Grc-tr), an early reference in Greek myth to Aphrodite, and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Grc-tr), meaning "sandal".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Most of Cypripedium grow in temperate and subtropical climates, but some species grow in the tundra in Alaska and Siberia, which is an unusually cold habitat for orchids. Other species occur well into tropical areas such as Honduras and Myanmar.<ref name="bessame"/>
Some of the northern species can withstand extreme cold, growing under the snow and blooming when the snow melts. But, in the wild, some have become rare and close to extinction, due to an ever shrinking natural habitat and over-collection, people prizing the flowers for their beauty. Several species are legally protected in some regions. In the late 20th century, only a single known plant of Cypripedium calceolus survived in Britain.
CharacteristicsEdit
The Cypripedium are terrestrial and, as with most terrestrial orchids, the rhizome is short and robust, growing in the uppermost soil layer. The rhizome grows annually with a growth bud at one end and dies off at the other end. The stem grows from the bud at the tip of the rhizome. Most slipper orchids have an elongate erect stem, with leaves growing along its length. But the mocassin flower or pink lady's slipper (Cypripedium acaule) has a short underground stem with leaves springing from the soil. The often hairy leaves can vary from ovate to elliptic or lanceolate, folded (plicate) along their length. The stems lack pseudobulbs.
The inflorescence is racemose. It can carry one to twelve flowers, as in Cypripedium californicum. But most species have one to three flowers. There are three sepals, with, in most species, the two lateral ones more or less fused. The flower has three acute petals with the third a striking slipper-shaped lip, which is lowermost. The sepals and the petals are usually similarly colored, with the lip in a different color. But variations on this theme occur. The aspect of the lip of different species can vary a great deal. As with all orchids, it is specially constructed to attract pollinators, which it traps temporarily. The flowers show a column with a unique shield-like staminode. The ovary is 3-locular (with three chambers).
TaxonomyEdit
Comparison between a DNA-analysis and the morphological characteristics in this genus has shown that there is a high degree of divergence between the two, probably due to long periods of isolation or extinction of intermediate forms. The Eurasian species with yellow or red flowers form a distinct group from the North American species with yellow flowers. The Mexican Pelican Orchid (Cypripedium irapeanum) and the California lady's slipper (Cypripedium californicum) are probably the first diverging line. They share several similarities with their sister group Selenipedium.
Species and natural hybridsEdit
There are 58 currently recognized species and nothospecies (naturally occurring hybrids) recognized in this genus, as of May 2014:<ref name="bessame"/>
Subgenus CypripediumEdit
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Subgenus IrapeanaEdit
| Section | Image | Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irapeana | File:Cypripedium californicum (17573895236).jpg | Cypripedium californicum – California lady's slipper | Oregon, N. California |
| Cypripedium conzattianum | Mexico (Colima) | ||
| Cypripedium gomezianum | Mexico (Colima) | ||
| Cypripedium luzmarianum | Mexico (Jalisco, Michoacán) | ||
| Cypripedium molle | Mexico | ||
| File:Cypripedium dickinsonianum.jpg | Cypripedium dickinsonianum | Mexico (S Chiapas) to Guatemala | |
| File:Cypripedium irapeanum.jpg | Cypripedium irapeanum – Pelican Orchid, Irapeao lady's slipper | Mexico to Honduras | |
| Cypripedium susanae | Mexico (Nayarit) | ||
| Obtusipetala | File:Cypripedium flavum Orchi 101.jpg | Cypripedium flavum – Yellow lady's slipper | SE Tibet, SC China |
| File:Cypripedium passerinum.jpg | Cypripedium passerinum – Franklyn's lady's slipper, small white Northern lady's slipper, sparrow's egg lady's slipper | Alaska to Canada, Montana | |
| File:Cypripedium reginae '-190401' Walter, Fl. Carol. 222 (1788) (48036513113).jpg | Cypripedium reginae Walter – Large white lady's slipper, Queen's lady's slipper, showy lady's slipper | C & E Canada, E. USA | |
| Subtropica | Cypripedium subtropicum | SE. Tibet | |
| Cypripedium wardii | SE. Tibet, China |
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Natural HybridsEdit
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cypripedium × alaskanum | C. guttatum × C. yatabeanum | Alaska | |
| File:Cypripedium × andrewsii.jpg | Cypripedium × andrewsii | C. candidum × C. parviflorum var. pubescens | E Canada, NC & NE USA |
| Cypripedium × catherinae | C. macranthon × C. shanxiense | Russian Far East | |
| File:Cypripedium × columbianum Orchi 2012-05 22 004.jpg | Cypripedium × columbianum | C. montanum × C. parviflorum var. pubescens | W Canada, NW USA |
| Cypripedium x herae | C.parviflorum x C.reginae | Manitoba, Canada | |
| File:Cypripedium × ventricosum Orchi 144.jpg | Cypripedium × ventricosum | C. calceolus × C. macranthos | Russia to Korea |
| Cypripedium × wenqingiae | C. farreri × C. tibeticum | China |
UsesEdit
The genus has a long history of use, dating back 2,500 years to the Far East, where they were used medicinally.
ConservationEdit
Several orchid species thought to be extinct in the United Kingdom including one native species in this genus have been found in habitat and are currently the subject of aggressive conservation efforts to protect and restore these showy plants to their native ranges.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
AwardsEdit
The following have received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:-
- Cypripedium formosanum<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Cypripedium Hank Small gx<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Cypripedium Michael gx<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Cypripedium reginae<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Cypripedium Sabine gx<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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ReferencesEdit
- Phillip Cribb & Peter Green (1997). The Genus Cypripedium (a botanical monograph). Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Timber Press Template:ISBN
- Pridgeon, A.M.; Cribb, P.J.; Chase, M.W. & F. N. Rasmussen (1999): Genera Orchidacearum Vol.1, page: 114 ff., Oxford U. Press. Template:ISBN