June 23 | Plant of the week Part II

The Ladyslippers are in full flower

If there is a queen of the lady’s slippers then it is probably Cypripedium tibeticum, of which there are 4 subspecies and many color variations. There are also natural and artificial hybrids, which equals breeds. Their occurens extends from eastern Tibet to neighboring Yunnan, Sichuan and Gansu
and Nepal. It also stretches to northern Bhutan and the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. The plants grow to a maximum height of 35 cm. They bear strikingly large flowers, with fine veining, ranging in color from red to black-red, maroon and yellow shades.
Our native lady’s slipper, Cypripedium calceolus, is still blooming in the Guggerbach Valley Alpinum. All the orchids, even the inconspicuous ones, and those that are now in their hundreds in the meadows, growing along the pathways and trails are protected by law. Any picking is prohibited by law.