Cypripedium

Hello! My name is Retha Meier. My research associate and I have been studying Cypripedium for a number of years. The population of plants in the photo is Cypripedium reginae and is found growing in southern Missouri along springs and creeks. The species name is from the Latin word "regina" meaning "queen". The flowers are indeed very beautiful and appear in late May. It is not uncommon to find two flowers on the tip of one stalk. A striking feature of this flower is the intense pink inflated lip (labellum) surrounded by brilliant white sepals. The dorsal sepal serves as an umbrella and keeps the labellum from filling up with water in a spring rain shower. If the flowers are pollinated, pods develop. These flowers should be admired in nature, photographed, and left in their natural environment to live and flourish.