SafePlants

Cypripedium parviflorum: Yellow Lady's Slipper

Cypripedium parviflorum, commonly known as yellow lady's slipper, moccasin flower, or hairy yellow ladyslipper, is a captivating orchid species.

Considerations for Pets

• The text mentions the plant is found in gardens, implying possible exposure to pets.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Cypripedium parviflorum Salisb.
• Common Names: Yellow Lady's Slipper, Moccasin Flower, Hairy Yellow Ladyslipper, Lesser Yellow Lady's Slipper, American Yellow Lady's Slipper, Small Flowered Yellow Lady's Slipper
• Family: Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
• Kingdom: Plantae
• Taxonomic Rank: Species
• Synonyms/Varieties:
  • Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens (Greater Yellow Lady's-slipper)
  • Cypripedium parviflorum var. parviflorum: Lesser yellow lady's slipper
  • Cypripedium parviflorum var. makasin: Small Yellow Lady's Slipper

Morphology and Growth

• Grows up to a foot in height with leafy stems.
• The lip, or slipper, is creamy or yellow, about 2 1/2 inches long, and cupped. The lip may have reddish spotty venation.
• The lesser yellow lady's slipper has a single, erect, leafy stem from 30-80 cm in height.
• The leaves are widely lanceolate to ovate.

Distribution and Habitat

• Widespread across North America.
• Found in bogs, such as near Itasca State Park in Minnesota.

Related Species

• Showy Lady's Slipper Orchid (Cypripedium reginae Walter)
• Greater Yellow Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium pubescens)

Resources and Further Information

• USDA Plants Profile for Cypripedium parviflorum
• Discover Life's page about the biology, natural history, ecology, identification, and distribution of Cypripedium parviflorum
• Dave's Garden