BRITISH WILD FLOWERS. 
505 
cially for mere gain, whether followed in 
Withering's day, or in our own, deserves to 
be strongly reprobated. 
The genus Cypripedium, of which C. Cal- 
ceolus is the only species indigenous to Eng- 
land, is one of the race of Orchids. It bears 
the name of Lady's-slipper, in allusion to the 
pouch-like form of the lip. The derivation 
of the name indicates this ; it is constructed 
from Kjjpris, one of the names of Venus, and 
podio?i, a slipper ; hence Lady's-slipper. 
The root-stock of the English Lady's- 
slipper is perennial, creeping underground, 
with numerous simple fleshy fibres. The 
stems grow erect, and are striated and downy, 
reaching from twelve to eighteen inches high ; 
at the lower part they are invested with three 
or four alternate leaves, the bases of which 
embrace the stem and overlap each other. 
The leaves are ovate, or elliptical, somewhat 
pointed, longitudinally ribbed, and slightly 
downy, especially on the back or under sur- 
face. Near the top of the stem, almost close 
to the flower, there is usually a smaller leaf, 
which may be considered as a bract. The 
flow r ers, which terminate the stems, are for the 
most part solitary ; they are large, very hand- 
some, and conspicuous, though dull in colour. 
Sometimes very strong plants produce two 
blossoms on the same stalk ; in this case each 
is attended by a bract. The corolla is brownish 
purple in the sepals and petals, and yellow in 
the lip ; the sepals are lanceolate, extended 
into a lengthened point, and are from an inch 
to an inch and a half in length, the upper one 
growing erect, and bending forward, the other 
two pointing downwards, united behind the 
lip, and appearing as a single one with a bifid 
point. The two petals are nearly of the same 
general form as the sepals, but narrower, and 
somewhat longer, and they have the margins 
undulated. The lip is large, oblong, obtuse, 
inflated, somewhat compressed at the sides, 
with an irregular longitudinal fissure above, 
thus having some resemblance to a wooden 
shoe ; it is yellow, netted with darker veins, 
internally spotted, and is about an inch long. 
The column, or that part in the centre of the 
flowers of the orchidaceas to which the anthers 
and stigma are attached, in this species ter- 
minates at the back by a petaloid lobe, which 
is elliptic, obtuse, and channelled, and is the- 
oretically taken to represent a barren stamen, 
the two real anthers being separated by it. 
These flowers are generally produced about 
the month of June. 
The English Lady's-slipper, together with 
some species of the family which are natives 
of North America, require peculiar treatment. 
They do not thrive if planted promiscuously 
in gardens, but require to be placed in a cool, 
shady, dampish spot. Dryness and exposure 
are fatal to them. Hence, where a few of 
these plants are brought together under arti- 
ficial cultivation, it is a usual and an excellent 
practice to set apart a cold frame for their 
especial use. In this case, a bed of soil may 
be made up in the bottom of the frame, and 
the plants planted out in the soil ; for in this 
way they are less influenced by the vicissi- 
tudes of management, and require little atten- 
tion after planting ; in this way, too, they 
may be kept sufficiently moist without such 
frequent applications of water as are neces- 
sary when they are planted in limited masses 
of soil confined within a garden pot. 
To form a bed of this kind, there should 
be a depth of three feet six inches from the 
glass sash which is to cover the frame. Two 
feet of this space is to be allowed for the 
growth of the plants above ground ; one foot 
for soil, and six inches for drainage materials, 
which should not be laid into a mere hole 
dug out the proper depth from the surface, 
but should have a sloping bottom, connected 
at the lowest point with a drain or outlet for 
the water percolating through the soil, which 
would otherwise be stagnant and sour the soil. 
The drainage materials may be broken bricks, 
potsherds, or similar porous matters, which will 
lie hollow, to facilitate the passage of moisture. 
The soil should be turfy peat, chopped fine 
with a spade, but none of the fibre removed ; 
this, being of loose texture, will require mode- 
rate consolidation. In this the roots should 
be planted, in autumn or spring. The 
moisture of the soil should be moderate and 
uniform. If the roots are planted in autumn, 
and the soil is damp, they will not then re- 
quire watering ; but if it is dry, they should 
have one thorough watering. If they are 
planted in spring, they may at once have a 
good watering, and may then be shut down 
close until they begin to grow. During their 
growth, the watering may be repeated, per- 
haps once a-month, when the soaking should 
be thorough ; they will not require it more 
frequently, in consequence of evaporation 
being in great measure prevented ; for the 
frame should be opened but very little, — that 
is, to a very small extent daily, — during the 
growing period, in order to maintain a calm 
moist atmosphere, in which these plants de- 
light. The frame should be shady ; a north 
aspect is preferable. 
The propagation of these plants is a very 
slow process. They seldom admit of division, 
by which mode perennials are generally in- 
creased with the greatest facility; and seed is 
but seldom to be obtained. There is a pro- 
verbial difficulty in raising plants of the orchis 
race from the seed, but it has been accom- 
plished in some few cases, and therefore if 
seed of this plant can be had, it is worth 
