The showy lady slipper (Cypripedium reginae), also known as the pink-and-white lady slipper or the queen's lady slipper, is a rare orchid found in eastern North America, mainly in the Canadian province of Ontario and Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Wisconsin in the United States. The plant became the state flower of Minnesota in 1902, and they became protected by state law in 1925. It is illegal to pick or uproot a showy lady slipper flower in Minnesota. This plant has vanished from much of its historical range due to habitat loss.

Found in damp woods, bogs, and swamps, the orchid can take 16 years to grow and bloom for the first time. The plants can live for 50 years, and tend to flower in late June and early July. Usually, there are one or two flowers per stem, but there can be three or four. The stem has a hairy appearance, and the "hairs" can cause irritation to some people.

Although this plant was originally chosen as the provincial flower for Prince Edward Island in 1947, it was so rare on the island that another Lady's Slipper, C. acaule (moccasin flower or pink lady slipper), has replaced it as the province's floral emblem.

See also

• Lady's Slipper

References

• Minnesota Secretary of State: State Flower, accessed January 31, 2004
• US Geological Survey: Showy Lady Slipper, accessed January 31, 2004