332 Cypripedia. 



any, and who cultivates more native plants, I think, than any one else in the 

 United States, agrees with my experience. I copy from his letter as follows : — 



" I have met with C. acaule in damp woods and in dry woods ; in the 

 sandy pine-barrens of New Jersey, sometimes in nearly pure sand, with 

 very little mixture ; and in one instance I have met with it in tolerable 

 abundance growing in a wet sphagneous swamp, where grew Sarracenia 

 purpurea and Pogonia ophioglossoides. It did not grow quite so much in 

 the water as the two last-named plants : but there would be no difficulty in 

 reaching C. acaule With, one hand; and with the other, Sarracenia purpurea. 

 But, up to this time, it has resisted or rejected all my endeavors to retain 

 it. It will come up one 3^ear after bringing it in ; and after two, sometimes ; 

 but is sure to be gone by the third." 



One of the peculiarities of C. acaule is, that it seems never to throw up 

 two stems or scapes from one plant ; and another, that it never increases 

 at the root as the other native species do, but always by seed. This is 

 the experience of a friend who is a close observer. 



C. ca?ididiim is a dwarf lovely species, and challenges my admiration as 

 much as any of them. It is pure China-white, about the size of a robin's 

 egg. It is very rare indeed, although a lady wrote me last summer it was 

 abundant in swamps about ten miles from Madison, Wis. My plants came 

 from Western New York, where it is occasionally seen. 



All these species have the characteristic shoe-shaped lip, from which the 

 plant derives its name, Venus's-slipper; more commonly, lady's-slipper ; or, 

 in the United States, moccason-flower. Some Englishman has remarked, 

 in view of its classic name, that he hoped Venus did not, slattern-like, 

 wear her slipper down at the heel, but that all the species of Cypripedium 

 he had seen indicated that she did. 



C. spectabile is larger and more showy, and generally esteemed the hand- 

 somest of the native species. One clump of roots of this species in my 

 garden, last July, produced twenty-six superb flowers, two on each stem ; 

 the stems about two feet high, and the flowers uncommonly large. 



C. arietinum is a small species, with a wild look, but is quite interesting, 

 and the exact shape of a ram's head, as its name indicates. This diminu- 

 tive species is very pretty when examined, the red and white lip curiously 

 drawing to a point at its lower extremity. I counted fifty-two flowers in 



