This is one of the largest and most spectacular of our native terrestrial orchids. The stout stem grows to a height of three feet, and may be leafy to the top. Elliptic leaves, tapering to pointed tips, reach a length of eight inches. One to three flowers grow at the summit of the plant, conspicuous in their bicolored attire. Because of its spectacular beauty this species has been picked unwisely by those who are not satisfied to enjoy the sight of a flower in its natural state. The Showy Lady's-slipper should be rigidly protected if it is to remain a member of our native flora. It grows in cool swamps and bogs from Newfoundland to the mountains of North Carolina, west to Tennessee, Missouri, and North Dakota. The flowers appear in June and July, rarely in May or August.
SMALL WHITE LADY'S-SLIPPER
This slender plant of sphagnum bogs and marshy meadows is not as common as the preceding species. Three to five elliptical, pointed leaves clothe the erect stem, which rarely is more than a foot in height. The flowers occur usually singly at the tip of the flowering stalk; they bear slender twisted sepals which taper to a point, and a plump saclike lip. This species flowers in May and June, and can be found mainly in restricted areas from New York to North Dakota.
RAM'S-HEAD LADY'S-SLIPPER
The slender stem is leafy nearly to its tip, with several small elliptical leaves two to four inches long. The flowering stalk, six to twelve inches in height, bears a single flower at its summit. The red-and-white strongly veined lip is prolonged at its tip so that there is a striking resemblance to a ram's head. This is a rare species of cold woods from Quebec and Ontario in New York, west to Michigan and Wisconsin. The flowers appear in May and June.
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