Cypripedium reginae

Common Names

Showy Lady's Slipper, Queen's Lady's Slipper, Pink-and-White Lady's Slipper

Summary

Showy Lady’s-Slipper (Cypripedium reginae) is a rhizomatous perennial orchid native to central and eastern Canada and the United States, forming tall clumps from a short rhizome and bearing 1–4 large white flowers with a pink to magenta, pouch-shaped labellum. Typically 60–90 cm tall, it carries 3–7 pubescent leaves along a hairy stem and forms colonies in wetlands such as fens, swamps, damp meadows, bogs, and riverbanks on neutral to alkaline soils. It is the state flower of Minnesota and is protected by law; blooms occur from June to July, with individual flowers lasting about 7–14 days. Cultivation emphasizes cool to cold temperate climates (hardy in USDA zones 3–8) with moist, fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soils and partial shade; two to three hours of morning sun and roughly 50% shade the remainder of the day, high humidity (60–75%) supporting moist roots, and care to avoid dry periods. Propagation is mainly by division in early or mid-spring, including some soil from the root ball that contains beneficial fungi; seeds are produced in large capsules and germination requires mycorrhizal fungi, with flowering often delayed 3–16 years after germination. In cultivation these plants are used as specimen plants in borders, city or cottage gardens, and containers; slugs and grey moulds can occur, and wild collection is discouraged.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

12-24 inches

Spread

14-18 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 2-6

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally Partial Sun to Partial Shade, typically 2–4 hours of morning sun with about 50% shade for the rest of the day; Full Sun and Full Shade are not ideal.

Soil Type

Moist, neutral to slightly alkaline loam soil

Soil Drainage

Moist but well-drained soil

Soil pH

6.5-7.5, Near neutral to slightly alkaline soils, around pH 7

Bloom Color

Pink and White

Bloom Time

Spring and Summer

Foliage Color

Green

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Slow growth

Seasons of Interest

Spring and Summer

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees and beetles