Cypripedium acaule

Cypripedium acaule

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Cypripedioideae
Genus: Cypripedium
Species:
C. acaule
Binomial name
Cypripedium acaule
Synonyms
List
    • Calceolus hirsutus (Mill.) Nieuwl.
    • Cypripedium acaule f. albiflora E.L.Rand & Redfield
    • Cypripedium acaule f. biflorum P.M.Br.
    • Cypripedium acaule f. lancifolia House
    • Cypripedium catesbianum Raf.
    • Cypripedium hirsutum Mill.
    • Cypripedium humile Salisb.
    • Cypripedium vittatum var. planum Raf.
    • Fissipes acaulis (Aiton) Small
    • Fissipes acaulis f. lancifolia House
    • Fissipes hirsuta (Mill.) Farw.
    • Fissipes hirsuta f. albiflora (E.L.Rand & Redfield) Farw.

Cypripedium acaule, the pink lady's slipper or moccasin flower, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae native to eastern North America. It is currently the provincial flower of Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the state wildflower of New Hampshire, United States.

Indigenous peoples traditionally used this plant for medicinal purposes. For example, Algonquin people, who form part of the larger cultural group known as the Anishinaabeg, traditionally used C. acaule to treat menstrual disorders. Due to population decline, harvesting for medicinal purposes is no longer recommended. As C. acaule takes many years to go from seed to mature plant, the gathering of seed-bearing specimens is presently unsustainable.