Canadian Native Orchids - Cypripedium parviflorum

Cypripedium parviflorum
Salisbury var. planipetalum (Fernald)
[Cypripedium calceolus Linnaeus var. planipetalum (Fernald)]
Flat-petaled Yellow Lady's-slipper

Location Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta.

Specific Habitat
Exposed rocky sites, originally described in Newfoundland: shallow, turfy depressions on the treeless limestone barrens of Cape Norman. In Ontario it has been reported in the Timiskaming District (Bryan and Newton-White, 1978), and along the Attawapistat River west of James Bay (Riley, 1979). It is rare elsewhere within the range of Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens.

Flowering Season
May to June.

Description
Similar to C. parviflorum var. pubescens with the exception of the flat, untwisted petals and shorter, broader and more round-based upper sepal.. Var. planipetalum is also of generally smaller stature than most var. pubescens.

Comments
There is some discussion between lumpers and splitters as to whether this is a variety or falls within the great variability of var. pubescens; and also whether the harsh environments where this variety is found would affect the formation of the flat petals.

References
1994 AOS Bulletin 63(6): 664-669
1995 AOS Bulletin 64(6): 606-612
Orchids of Ontario
The Genus Cypripedium
The Native Orchids of the United States and Canada excluding Florida

Habitat Plant Flower

Location	Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta.
Specific Habitat	Exposed rocky sites, originally described in Newfoundland: shallow, turfy depressions on the treeless limestone barrens of Cape Norman. In Ontario it has been reported in the Timiskaming District (Bryan and Newton-White, 1978), and along the Attawapistat River west of James Bay (Riley, 1979). It is rare elsewhere within the range of Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens.
Flowering Season	May to June.
Description	Similar to C. parviflorum var. pubescens with the exception of the flat, untwisted petals and shorter, broader and more round-based upper sepal.. Var. planipetalum is also of generally smaller stature than most var. pubescens.
Comments	There is some discussion between lumpers and splitters as to whether this is a variety or falls within the great variability of var. pubescens; and also whether the harsh environments where this variety is found would affect the formation of the flat petals.
References	1994 AOS Bulletin 63(6): 664-669 1995 AOS Bulletin 64(6): 606-612 Orchids of Ontario The Genus Cypripedium The Native Orchids of the United States and Canada excluding Florida