The Queen

The Queen of Lady’s Slipper Orchids is Cypripedium reginae. It is native to North America and is the State Flower of Minnesota.

Never common in the wild, but has now vanished from much of its historic range due to loss of habitat. Regarded as threatened in many states and only listed as being safe in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba.

Despite producing up tp 50,000 seeds from each flower, it mainly reproduces vegetatively by the spreading of its underground rhizomes. When seed does germinate it can take up to eight years to reach flowering size.

It amuses me that Charles Darwin was unsuccessful in cultivating this plant and yet it is clearly doing quite well in our garden.