YELLOW LADY'S SLIPPER 



Cypripedium parviflorum Salisb. 

 ORCHID FAMILY 



The orchids, the aristocrats of the floral world, form a large 

 family, with family seat ; as it were, in the tropics and scions in 

 almost all parts of the earth. Some of them, especially those 

 that grow as airplants on tl. bark of trees in hot, moist forests, 

 produce flowers weird and fantastic, or marvelously beautiful, 

 beyond imagination. Thousands of species have been found 

 by collectors who risked, and sometimes lost, their lives in the 

 search. Sent home to Europe or America, these dormant plants 

 have been purchased by orchid enthusiasts in whose hothouses 

 under skilful and devoted care they bloom again in wondrous 

 diversity of form and color. 



Our Canadian orchids are all land plants, and while a number 

 have small, inconspicuous flowers, interesting chiefly because 

 of their structure and family relationship, a dozen or so are of 

 such beauty and distinction that they would be noticed in any 

 company. Of such is the Yellow Lady's Slipper pictured here. 



The inflated lip or slipper is deep yellow, and the other parts 

 are yellowish-green, often striped or shaded with dark purple. 

 The long, narrow side petals are usually twisted or curled, enhanc- 

 ing the charm of these strange flowers, which are so poised that 

 in a breeze they seem animate, expectant, ready for eager flight. 



This orchid, growing in open woods and thickets and blooming 

 in June, was at one time comparatively common in many parts 

 of Canada, but advancing civilization is destructive of native 

 life, and they are becoming rarer each year. The remaining 

 ones should be preserved as far as possible or this splendid plant 

 is likely to be exterminated. 



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