Official State Flowers of the United States

Cypripedium reginae - Showy lady slipper

Cypripedium reginae – Showy lady slipper

State Flower of Minnesota – The plant became the state flower of Minnesota in 1902 and was protected by state law in 1925. It is illegal to pick or uproot a showy lady’s slipper flower in Minnesota.

Cypripedium reginae grows in wetlands such as fens and open wooded swamps that are sometimes populated by tamarack and black spruce. Cyp. reginae thrives in neutral to basic soils but can be found in slightly acidic conditions. The plants often form in clumps by branching of the underground rhizomes. Its roots are typically within a few inches of the top of the soil. It prefers very loose soils and when growing in fens it will most often be found in mossy hummocks. The increasing rarity of this plant is attributable to destruction of a suitable alkaline habitat – and an exploding deer population whose browsing stunts or eliminates its growth. It can tolerate full sun but prefers partial shade for some part of the day. When exposed to full sun, the flower lip is somewhat bleached and less deeply colored. It is occasionally eaten by white-tailed deer. Cypripedium reginae can be found in Canada from Saskatchewan east to Atlantic Canada, and the eastern United States south to Arkansas and Tennessee.