Fast Facts
- Adopted as the State flower in 1902
- Botanical Name: Cypripedium reginae
- Also known as: the Queen's lady slipper and the showy lady's slipper
- The lady's slipper is uncommon in Minnesota
- Fun Fact: Some people can get a rash from touching the leaves of this pretty orchid
- In its first year, the orchid grows only about as tall as a pencil point!
- Each year the lady's slipper may produce a half-million seeds, which are as fine as flour dust.
- With the pink and white lady slipper's longer than average life span - some species may grow be 100 years old!
- Minnesota Flower Delivery
Found living in open fens, bogs, swamps, and damp woods where there is an abundance of natural light, the feminine-looking pink and white lady's slipper grows slowly, taking up to 16 years to produce the first flowers! Blooming in late June or early July, the plants may live, on average, about 50 years and can grow to be over four feet tall.
A century ago, the ostentatious pink and white lady's slipper was a favorite adornment in rural church altars during the summer. Since 1925, this rare wildflower has been protected by Minnesota state law; it is illegal to pick the flowers or to uproot or unearth them. Some specimens are difficult to find, but the bog at Beckman Lake in Isanti County is generally very fertile ground.
From La Crescent to Minneapolis, and Pine City to Saint Cloud, the beautiful princess pink and sparkly white lady's slipper is visible from most ranges, and can be seen in masses of farmers' garden plots, and, of course, all throughout the wild (particularly in the eastern part of the state).
Since 1925, Minnesota has regulated the collection and commercial sale of this precious species. The showy lady's-slipper is one of 43 orchid species that grow in Minnesota, and to many a local, it's the most beautiful and symbolic flower in the state.
The pink and white showy lady is a brightly colored orchid with one or sometimes two blossoms on a single stem. White petals sit atop a white pouch (slipper) which is streaked with pink, making it truly unique. Hairy oval leaves clasp the stem. These beauties grow from one to two feet tall and can actually be found with gorgeous tones of pink, red, white and even green!
The lady's slipper offers a spectacularly dazzling show while blooming from early June to mid-July. It performs or flowers the best in very bright sunlight, though it will grow in semi-shaded areas. The lady's slipper grows in spruce and tamarack bogs, swamps, wet meadows, wet prairies, and cool, damp woods. It may be found anywhere in Minnesota where these habitats exist.
Source Links:
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/snapshots/plants/showyladysslipper.html
State Symbols
http://www.sos.state.mn.us/student/flower.html