Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 75 



ORCHIS FAMILY (Orchidaceae). 



This is a large family composed of herbaceous per- 

 ennials with tuberoid roots or corms. The perianth 

 is composed of six divisions, the three outer being 

 sepals (two of which are often united) and the three 

 inner ones petals, the lower one of which, termed the 

 lip, differs in form from the others. 



YELLOW LADY'S SLIPPER (Cypripedium parvi- 



florum) has usually one, but sometimes three flow- 

 ers at the summit of a leafy stem 7 to 20 in. high. The 

 inflated lip is bright yellow, slipper-shaped and with 

 a rounded open orifice near the base. The two later- 

 al petals are brownish; exceedingly twisted. The 

 broad, bright green leaves are very prominently rib- 

 bed lengthwise, pointed and alternately sheathing the 

 stem. This is one of the northerly species, being 

 found along the northern border of the United States 

 and southern Canada. It grows in colonies and flow- 

 ers from May to July, in rich woods or bogs. 



LARGE YELLOW LADY'S SLIPPER (C. p, pube- 



scens) is a form of the last, averaging larger in all 

 its parts. It is found in the same range. 



RAM'S HEAD LADY'S SLIPPER (Cypripedium 



arietinum) is not as handsome as the other members 

 of this genus, but it is the most rare of the Lady's 

 Slippers and, on that account, is very highly prized. 

 The three sepals are separate, the upper one being 

 ovate and pointed, while the lateral ones are lanceo- 

 late, brownish-purple and very similar to the lateral 

 petals; the swollen lip is small, little more than half 

 an inch in length; white, with crimson veinings. The 

 three or four leaves are elliptical and nearly smooth. 

 The stem is from 6 to 12 inches in height. This spe- 

 cies is very locally distributed in swamps from Me. to 

 Manitoba, southwards to Mass, and N. Y. 



