Cypripedium reginae, Showy Lady's Slipper.

Showy Lady's Slipper, Cypripedium reginae, known in older works as Cypripedium spectable, according to W.P.C. Barton (1822), " . . .is one of the most elegant of the singular genus to which it belongs." And the lady's slipper is both a queen and a spectacle as the species names imply. It is the largest and most spectacular native North American orchid, growing over 2 feet tall, with gorgeous 3-inch wide flowers in the red spectrum on the pinkish-purple side. It is Minnesota's state flower. Glandular hairs on stems and leaves may cause mild to severe contact dermatitis. Images honor the memory of Richard H. Davis (1946-1983), late botanist for the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, shown here at the rediscovery of Showy Lady's Slipper in Arkansas, June 1980.

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