Showy lady's slipper

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More names for this plant

Anishinaabemowin: Agobizowin

The Dakota and Anishinaabe were among the earliest people to name Minnesota’s plants and animals, as well as to understand them in relation to Minnesota’s climate and seasons. Those original names are still in use, and several are included on the Season Watch website. However, complete translations were not available.

Latin (or scientific name): Cypripedium reginae

The scientific community has a convention of assigning agreed-upon Latin names to every kind of organism. Using scientific names helps people communicate confidently about the same organism and organize lifeforms based on how closely related they are.

More common names: Pink lady's slipper, showy lady's-slipper, pink and white lady's slipper

French: Cypripède royal

Page contents

About the showy lady's slipper

Visual guide to phenology

Graphs and historical data

More resources

Wetland scene with showy lady's slippers. Three large pink and white flowers are slipper-shaped.
Showy lady's slipper blooms in a wetland
June 29, 2015, Roseau County, Minnesota
Photo © Scott King, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
iNaturalist observation

About the showy lady's slipper

  • The showy lady’s slipper is a perennial orchid that can live up to fifty years. 
  • They are the state flower of Minnesota, and they grow mainly in wet areas in the northeast half of the state. 
  • These orchids produce flowers that are white with a magenta or pink pouch. Their large leaves wrap around the stem. 
  • They typically bloom around the month of June, and their flowers last up to two weeks. 
  • Fun fact: Touching a showy lady’s slipper can cause a rash.

Visual guide to phenology

Watch for the appearance of leaves, flowers, and fruits. Take notice of when flowers open and fruits ripen.

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Note to observers

This page explains general clues to watch for when observing showy lady's slipper phenology. However, this page does not explain how to identify this plant or collect data in a standardized way.

Woodland scene in early spring. Thought it is hard to see, the dried stem and seed pod of a showy lady's slipper is in the center of this image.
Close-up showing an oval-shaped seed pod on a stiff dry stem.
New leaves of the showy lady's slipper are poking up from the ground, among other fresh green vegetation in early spring.
At the top of showy lady's slipper stems, closed flower buds appear. They are very pale green, have a fuzzy texture, and are roundish in shape.
This photo shows a flower bud that is not yet open. It is mostly white and pink, and is larger than another closed bud in the same image.
A cluster of sixteen showy lady's slipper flowers in a lush scene with bright green vegetation. The flowers are pink and white and shaped like slippers.
A close-up photo showing two flowers. One has brown, wilted petals. The other is still mostly pink and white but is starting to show brown specks as it fades.
The flower on this plant is spent, as one can tell from the brown, dried petals. A green, fuzzy fruit is developing below where the flower had been.
The showy lady's slipper fruit, which is a capsule-like structure, is still green in this image and will change to brown as it ripens. Leaves in this image are mostly green, but beginning to show some brown areas.
A single dried, brown fruit of the showy lady's slipper appears against a snowy backdrop.

Graphs and historical data

Note: The Orientation Center provides a map, as well as information on reading graphs; interpreting summary statistics, who collected the data and how; and how to download datasets for independent exploration.


Hennepin County

Flowering

  • Earliest: May 24 (occurred in 1977)
  • Average: June 8
  • Latest: June 18 (occurred in 1974)
Scatterplot showing showy lady's slipper phenology observations in Hennepin County, Minnesota

Download this dataset (.csv file)

Last flower

  • Earliest: June 20 (occurred in 1977 and 1991)
  • Average: July 1
  • Latest: July 10 (occurred in 1974)
Scatterplot showing showy lady's slipper phenology observations in Hennepin County, Minnesota

Download this dataset (.csv file)

Hubbard County

Flowering

  • Earliest: June 3 (occurred in 2006)
  • Average: June 15
  • Latest: June 29 (occurred in 1997)
Scatterplot showing showy lady's slipper phenology observations in Hubbard County, Minnesota

Download this dataset (.csv file)

Itasca County

Flowering

  • Earliest: June 4 (occurred in 2010)
  • Average: June 17
  • Latest: June 25 (occurred in 2008)
Scatterplot showing showy lady's slipper phenology observations in Itasca County, Minnesota

Download this dataset (.csv file)

More resources

Showy lady's slipper (Cypripedium reginae) in the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas

Showy lady's slipper (Cypripedium reginae) in Nature's Notebook

Showy lady's slipper (Cypripedium reginae) "Plant of the Week" profile by US Forest Service

Showy lady's slipper (Cypripedium reginae) profile by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

 

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Times of year

Co-author: Lynsey Nass, Minnesota Master Naturalist