Pink lady’s slipper is a perennial orchid native to Wisconsin, known for its distinctive, inflated lower petal marked with deep red veins and a central groove. Each plant produces a single flower on a leafless stalk six to fifteen inches tall. At the base, two broad, deeply veined leaves—often up to ten inches long—form a green platform that contrasts with the pink bloom.
This orchid grows in acidic, well‑drained conifer forests, especially under pines and hemlocks where the soil is low in nutrients. It depends on a specialized fungal partnership to obtain nutrients during early growth, a relationship that makes it nearly impossible to transplant successfully. Pollination is equally specialized: bumblebees enter the slipper through a small opening, become temporarily trapped, and exit past the stigma and anthers, transferring pollen as they go.
Because it takes years to mature and is highly sensitive to soil disturbance, pink lady’s slipper remains uncommon in many areas. Wild plants should never be picked or dug—most will not survive removal from their native habitat.
Sources:
Freckmann Herbarium (UW–Stevens Point) — Cypripedium acaule species account
Minnesota Wildflowers — Cypripedium acaule (Pink Lady’s Slipper)
Illinois Wildflowers — Pink Lady’s Slipper
USDA NRCS Plants Database — Cypripedium acaule species profile
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center — Cypripedium acaule overview