514 



SOME ATTRACTIVE NATIVE PLAmS. 



Many of the orchids, like most wild plants, make at- 

 tractive winter bloomers. Establish plants in pots or 

 boxes during the spring or early summer. In the autumn 

 cover them with leaves or litter to avoid too great freez- 

 ing, and as they are wanted bring them into the conser- 

 vatory or house. Keep them very cool, and do not allow 

 them to have too much sun at first. Soon they will be- 

 gin to grow, and in a short time will bloom. 

 The same plants can then be put aside in a 

 cool light place, where they can make the 

 remainder of their growth and be used in 

 the same manner for the next winter ; but 

 in general, fresh plants do better. Many 

 plants can be taken up now for blooming 

 next winter, especially such early-bloom 

 ones as hepaticas and the like. 



The lady's-slippers are our most impor- 

 tant native orchids. A half-dozen of them 

 grow in the northern states, inhabit: 

 swamps and cool woods. The showy lady's- 

 slipper, or Cypripcdium spcctabi/c, is the 

 largest and finest species, and it is always 

 in demand by plant-dealers. 

 I know of several swamps in f ^- 

 which it once grew freely f \ 

 where collectors have oblit- 

 erated every trace of t h e 

 plant. Although this showy ; 

 orchid commonly grows in 

 dense peat-bogs, it will thrive ^' 

 in almost any black, moist 

 soil in a shady place. I have 

 in mind such a bed of them 

 which has maintained itself 

 in full vigor for several years. 

 This species grows two or 

 three feet high, bearing sev- 

 eral large and very showy 

 white and pink flowers. Per- 

 haps none of the many exotic 

 greenhouse cypripediums ex- 

 cel this native species i n 

 beauty and interest. Scarce- 

 ly second to this plant is the 

 stem less lady's - slipper, 

 shown in fig. 2, known to 

 botanists as Cypripedium 

 acaule. It will be seen that 

 the plant has no true stem, 

 but the flower-stalks proceed 

 directly from the crown of the plant. Each stem bears 

 a single large flower, which is pink-purple, or sometimes 

 creamy white. This species grows both in swamps and 

 dryish, shady woods, where the great broad and thick 

 leaves are conspicuous objects on the surface of the 

 ground. It blooms in May and June, fully a month 

 ahead of the showy lady's-slipper described above, and it 

 is found over a wide range of territory from Canada to 

 Carolina and west to Minnesota. There are two other 



red and white-flowered lady's-slippers growing in the 

 north, but they are not so well known as the preceding. 

 One is the ram's-head lady's-slipper [Cypripedium arie- 

 linum), and the other is the white lady's-slipper {C. can- 

 didum). The latter is rare. Both species are small- 

 flowered, and are not likely to become very popular in 

 cultivation although interesting to botanists. 



There are two yellow lady's-slip- 

 pers in the northeastern states, both 

 of which are illustrated herewith. 

 They are much alike, and are per- 

 haps only forms of one species. The 

 large yellow lady's-slipper, or Cypri- 

 pcdiiim piibescens, is shown in fig. r 

 on preceding page, and the small 

 yellow, C. parviflorum , in fig. 4 on 

 the next page. Both grow in bogs 

 and low woods throughout the north- 

 states, and both are easily grown 

 in protected places in the garden. 

 The larger species is one of our com- 

 monest orchids, 



Another attractive class of native 

 orchids are the habenarias, of which 

 arly 20 species grow in the north- 

 eastern states. Nearly half of these 

 have showy flowers, and some of 

 them are of the brightest purple 



Stemless Lady's-slipper (Cytripedtu 



auk). 



colors, with deep fringes. A lilac-purple species {Habe- 

 nat-ia fimbriata) is shown natural size in fig. 3, on oppo- 

 site page. Perhaps the handsomest of the native species 

 is the white-fringed orchis (Habenaria bU'pharigloltis). 

 All the habenarias delight in moist, partially shaded, 

 grassy or boggy places, and they are not difficult to estab- 

 lish in cool places in the garden. Much like the habe- 

 narias in general appearance are the twayblades, plants 

 which inhabit similar places and demand similar treat- 



