Cypripedium montanum

Cypripedium montanum, the Mountain Lady's Slipper is well named, usually growing at higher elevations. Its range is limited to the northwest, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, California, British Columbia and Alberta. It usually grows under light canopy or at the edges of the canopy, though we have seen it growing in full sun.

The color of its sepals and petals varies from dark mahogany to greenish with mahogany markings. The pouch is always white but often has a red-purple blush around the opening and deep reddish-purple veins inside the pouch that show through to the outside (fma. welchii) and occasionally one finds an albino form that is pure green and white (fma. praetertinctum).

There is one natural hybrid of Cypripediium montanum with Cypripedium parviflorum, the Columbia Hybrid Lady's Slipper, Cyp. x columbianum. The color of the pouch ranges from off white to a pale yellow, neither the white pouch of Cyp.montanum nor the bright yellow pouch of Cyp. parviflorum. It is fairly common and often mistaken for a pale Cyp. parviflorum.

Posted on June 27, 2019 03:13 AM by ronaldhanko ronaldhanko

Observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Columbia Lady’s-Slipper (Cypripedium × columbianum)

Observer

ronaldhanko

Date

June 2014

Place

Private

Description

Growing in a mixed population of plants some of which look like C. montanum, others like C. parviflorum, with many intermediate forms. Probably none of the plants are pure species.

Photos / Sounds

What

Mountain Lady's-Slipper (Cypripedium montanum)

Observer

ronaldhanko

Date

May 2019

Place

Private

Description

This was growing in a mixed population of C. montanum, C. parviflorum and C. x columbianum, the natural hybrid of the two and is probably not pure C. montanum, though it looks like it.

Photos / Sounds

What

Mountain Lady's-Slipper (Cypripedium montanum)

Observer

ronaldhanko

Date

June 2019

Place

Private

Description

This is the albino form of Cypripedium montanum, fma. praetertinctum, rather more rare than the ordinary form but a from we have seen fairly often.

Photos / Sounds

What

Mountain Lady's-Slipper (Cypripedium montanum)

Observer

ronaldhanko

Date

May 2013

Place

Private

Description

This is Cypripedium montanum fma. welchii, a very dark form of the species with dark mahogany tepals and purple staining around the edge of the pouch and heavy purple striping inside the pouch.

Photos / Sounds

What

Mountain Lady's-Slipper (Cypripedium montanum)

Observer

ronaldhanko

Date

June 2019

Place

Private

Description

Cypripedium montanum is often found in large populations.

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