''Cypripedium parviflorum'', commonly known as yellow lady's slipper or moccasin flower, is a

lady's slipper Cypripedioideae is a subfamily of orchids commonly known as lady's slipper orchids, lady slipper orchids or slipper orchids. Cypripedioideae includes the genera '' Cypripedium, Mexipedium, Paphiopedilum, Phragmipedium'' and ''Selenipedium''. T ...

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of floweri ...

native to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

. It is widespread, ranging from

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...

south to

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. It grows in fens, wetlands, shorelines, and damp woodlands.

Taxonomy

''C. parviflorum'' is a highly variable species, which is a result of both hybridization and

phenotypic plasticity Phenotypic plasticity refers to some of the changes in an organism's behavior, morphology and physiology in response to a unique environment. Fundamental to the way in which organisms cope with environmental variation, phenotypic plasticity encompa ...

. Four varieties are widely recognized. They are: *''C. parviflorum ''var''. exiliens'' Sheviak –

*''C. parviflorum'' var. ''makasin'' (Farwell) Sheviak – commonly called the "northern yellow lady's-slipper"; widely distributed over much of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

and the northern United States *''C. parviflorum'' var. ''parviflorum'' – commonly called the "small yellow lady's-slipper"; southern part of the species range, from eastern

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

and eastern

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

east to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

and

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

*''C. parviflorum'' var. ''pubescens'' (Willdenow) O. W. Knight – commonly called the "large yellow lady's-slipper"; very widespread across much of United States,

, and St. Pierre & Miquelon; treated by many authors as a distinct species, ''Cypripedium pubescens'' File:Cypripedium parviflorum Orchi 014.jpg, ''C. parviflorum'' var. ''parviflorum'', showing pubescent bract and dark maroon sepals File:Cypripedium parviflorum pubescens.jpg, ''C. parviflorum'' var. ''pubescens'', showing yellow-green sepals spotted with maroon

References

External links

* * parviflorum Orchids of Canada Orchids of the United States Orchids of California Orchids of Kentucky Orchids of Maryland Flora of the Eastern United States Flora of the Western United States Flora of Alaska Flora of the Appalachian Mountains Flora of the Rocky Mountains Flora of Saint Pierre and Miquelon Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Plants described in 1791 Taxa named by Richard Anthony Salisbury Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Cypripedioideae-stub