Pink slipper orchid

[Allpet Roaches]

I saw this at a rest stop in PA a few days ago. I've never seen a slipper orchid in the wild and really enjoyed seeing this one. You can even see a seed pod from last year. My daughter asked why I didn't dig it up but the thought never entered my mind. I imagine someone will one of these days.

[Matt K]

I saw this at a rest stop in PA a few days ago. I've never seen a slipper orchid in the wild and really enjoyed seeing this one. You can even see a seed pod from last year. My daughter asked why I didn't dig it up but the thought never entered my mind. I imagine someone will one of these days.

Awesome find! What could be better than stopping along on a trip and finding a gem... rare or unusual flora or fauna. That is really cool.

[Pharma]

Hi Orin

Beautiful orchid!

But are you sure that it's a Calypso sp. (which is, according some findings in Google, the scientific name of the pink slipper orchid)?

To me, it looks more like a Cypripedium sp. (regarding the flower and the foliage).

Attached are some orchids I found here on trips to the nearby alps (massif in Switzerland).

Cephalanthera sp.

[Pharma]

Neottia nidus-avis and one being likely a Gymnadenia conopsea.

[Pharma]

And maybe Dactylorhiza and/or Orchis and again one which could be Gymnadenia conopsea (they often build hybrids with other orchids).

[Pharma]

A Dactylorhiza sp. and maybe an Epipactis sp.

[Pharma]

And a Coeloglossum sp., likely C. viride.

One advantage of living in Switzerland seems to be that in terms of orchids we have the bigger biodiversity, such big, that I can't attach another (the last) photo I took of a C. viride with a different color .

[Allpet Roaches]

But are you sure that it's a Calypso sp. (which is, according some findings in Google, the scientific name of the pink slipper orchid)?

To me, it looks more like a Cypripedium sp. (regarding the flower and the foliage).

Do another search, Calypso isn't listed under that common name, though a few other like Paphiopedilum are. Your orchids are great though I've always been most interested in the various slippers. Nice photos, did you take them all yourself in the wild?

[Pharma]

Do another search, Calypso isn't listed under that common name, though a few other like Paphiopedilum are. Your orchids are great though I've always been most interested in the various slippers. Nice photos, did you take them all yourself in the wild?

Well... obviously Google doesn't know everything... Now I found the Pink Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium acaule) as possible species -> it's not only the roaches where scientific names are favorable !

Paphiopedilum would also sound reasonable (when judging a small picture) if it would be native to the US (Wikipedia tells me they are not *lol*). I just found out that translating slipper into one of the possible German words gives Frauenschuh, the German expression for these kind of orchids.

Besinds: The only "Frauenschuh" native to Switzerland is Cypripedium calceolus, a relatively rare species but if you happen to find one, you'll for sure find dozens nearby.

Yes, that are photos I took on two trips here in Switzerland and the orchids are native ones.

Neottia nidus-avis and especially Gymnadenia conopsea are pretty common in the mountains herearound.

[Allpet Roaches]

I bought these yellow slipper orchids off an auction site since they're said to be the easiest to keep in this genus. I'll be thrilled if I can get a nice group going. The pink one is known to be very difficult to keep outside its natural setting.

[Pharma]

Good luck!!

Here around it's nearly impossible to keep orchids in the garden, especially native ones (which is prohibited anyway).

I'm restricted to tropical hybrids on the window board .

[Matt K]

I found some too!! (And thought of Orins' post right away, oddly enough)

Was just in the state of Maine, USA. Walking in the woods I found two color types: