ORCHIDACEAE
Cypripedium L., Sp. Pl. 2: 951 (1753).
By: Bhakta B. Raskoti
Taxon Description
Terrestrial herbs. Rhizome stout with fibrous roots. Stem erect, base sheathed. Leaves alternate to opposite, occasionally prostrate, sheathing at base; elliptic, ovate or cordate. Inflorescence terminal, with a solitary flower or sometimes more than 1-flowered. Floral bracts foliaceous. Flowers often widely opening. Dorsal sepal free or hooded on lip; lateral sepals fused to form a synsepal. Petals free, spreading, sometimes twisted. Lip pouched, subglobose, ellipsoid or subellipsoid. Column with a staminode at apex, stamens lateral and stigma beneath; anthers with short caudicles 2-locular; staminodes often with stalked base or rarely not; stigma obscurely lobed. Fruit a capsule.
Taxon Statistics
Worldwide 54 species, distributed in temperate Asia, N and C America. Three species in Nepal.
Key to Species
1a Leaves 2, spreading horizontal, opposite or subopposite. Lip subglobose…………..2. C. elegans
b Leaves 3 or more, erect, alternate. Lip subellipsoid or ellipsoid………….…..……….2
2a Leaves often 3–5. Lip ellipsoid, white……………………….……….1. C. cordigerum
b Leaves often 3. Lip subellipsoid, reddish purple……………………..3. C. himalaicum
1. Cypripedium cordigerum D. Don, Prodr. Fl. Nepal.: 37 (1825).
Plants 15–44 cm tall. Rhizome stout, 1.5–5 cm with fibrous roots. Stem 4–30 cm, pubescent, 2–3 tubular sheaths at base, sheaths 1.5–6 cm, apex obtuse. Leaves 3–5, elliptic or broadly elliptic, (2.5–) 10–15 × (2–) 4–10 cm, erect, apex acute or acuminate, alternate, sparsely pubescent. Inflorescence terminal, 5–10 cm, 1–2-flowered; peduncle glandular hairy. Floral bracts foliaceous, elliptic to lanceolate, 3.5–9 × 1–3 cm, apex acuminate, hairy. Flowers sepals and petals pale green to yellowish green, lip white; staminode yellow with red spots, 4–8 cm across. Pedicel and ovary 15–3 cm, densely glandular hairy. Dorsal sepal broadly ovate, (1.5–) 2.5–4 × (0.4–) 2 cm, apex acuminate, surface below pubescent. Synsepal elliptic-ovate, 2–4 × 0.5–1.5 cm, apex shallowly 2-lobed, surface below pubescent. Petals linear-lanceolate, 2–4.5 × 0.5–1 cm, apex acuminate, surface below pubescent. Lip ellipsoid, 2–4 × 1–1.5 cm, deeply pouched, surface outside glabrous, inside at bottom hairy. Column ca. 4–5 mm, staminode suboblong, 10–15 × 5 mm. Capsule 2–3 × 1–1.3 cm.
Distribution: Nepal, E Himalaya, W Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau and S Asia.
Altitudinal range: 2900–3500 m.
Ecology: Terrestrial in grassland slopes and forest margins.
Flowering: May–June. Fruiting: July–September.
2. Cypripedium elegans Rchb. f., Flora 69: 561 (1886).
Coelogyne elegans Rchb. f.
Plants 10–13 cm tall. Rhizome slender, 1–1.5 cm with fibrous roots. Stem 7–9 cm, densely villous, 1–2 tubular sheaths at base, sheaths 2.5–3 cm, apex obtuse. Leaves 2, ovate or broadly ovate, 4–5.5 × 3–4 cm, spreading horizontally, opposite or sub-opposite, apex obtuse, sparsely pubescent. Inflorescence terminal, 3–5 cm, 1-flowered; peduncle villous. Floral bracts foliaceous, ovate, 1.5–3 × 0.5–1 cm, apex subacute, hairy. Flower sepals and petals yellowish green, with purplish red stripes, lip yellowish to white, with 3 purplish red stripes, staminodes yellowish green, 1–1.5 mm across. Pedicel and ovary 4–7 mm, hairy. Dorsal sepal elliptic-ovate, 1–1.2 × 0.5–0.6 mm, apex acute, surface below pubescent (specially from basal half). Synsepal similar to dorsal sepal, apex shallowly 2-lobed, surface below pubescent. Petals lanceolate, 10–12 × 5–5.5 mm, apex subacute, glabrous. Lip subglobose, 0.8–1 × 1 cm, pouched, surface outside glabrous, inside at bottom hairy. Column ca. 2–3 mm, staminode elliptic, 1.5–2 × 2 mm. Capsule ca. 6–10 × 5 mm.
Distribution: Nepal, E Himalaya, W Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau and E Asia.
Altitudinal range: 3300–3500 m.
Ecology: Terrestrial in grassland slopes.
Flowering: July–August. Fruiting: September–October.
3. Cypripedium himalaicum Rolfe, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 29: 319 (1892).
Cypripedium macranthos var. himalaicum (Rolfe) Kraenzl.
Plants 16–34 cm tall. Rhizome stout, 1–4 cm with fibrous roots. Stem 13–20 cm, sparsely pubescent, 2–3 tubular sheaths at base, sheaths 2–7 cm, apex obtuse. Leaves 3, oblong-elliptic to broadly elliptic, 5–9 × 2–4.5 cm, erect, alternate, apex acute, slightly hairy. Inflorescence terminal, 7–14 cm, 1-flowered; peduncle pubescent. Floral bracts foliaceous, elliptic-lanceolate, 3–6 × 1–3 cm, apex acute to subacute, hairy. Flowers sepals and petals greenish yellow, densely marked with purplish brown longitudinal stripes, lip reddish purple, staminode yellowish with purple spots, 3–7 cm across. Pedicel and ovary 1.5–2 cm, densely pubescent. Dorsal sepal broadly ovate, 2–3 × 1–2 cm, apex acute, surface below pubescent (specially from basal half). Synsepal oblong-lanceolate, 1.5–3 × 1–1.5 cm, apex shallowly 2-lobed, surface below pubescent. Petal linear-lanceolate, 2–3 × 0.5–1 cm, apex acute, surface below pubescent. Lip subellipsoid, 2–4 × 1.7–2.5 cm, deeply pouched, surface outside glabrous, inside at bottom hairy. Column ca. 4–5 mm, staminode broadly ovate-cordate, 7–10 × 5–6 mm. Capsule ca. 1.5–2 × 1 cm
Distribution: Nepal, E Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau and Assam-Burma.
Altitudinal range: 3000–4000 m.
Ecology: Terrestrial in alpine grassland slopes.
Flowering: July–August. Fruiting: September–October.