(aka Pink Moccasin Flower)
Cypripedium acaule
This member of the Orchid family boasts a single, pouch shaped flower atop a leafless stalk. Each 1.5 - 2 inch (3.8 - 10 cm) pouch is infolded down the center and is veined with red. The flowers sepals and side petals are greenish brown with the petals being lanceolate and narrower than the sepals. Each plant has a pair of basal leaves that are oval, ribbed, dark green, and silvery-hairy underneath. The leaves are approximately 8 inches (20 cm) long.
This species requires the acidic humus of pine needles in pine and oak-pine woods. This flower is infrequent in eastern Kentucky and should not be picked. This species is very difficult to grow in wildflower gardens and propagate poorly. Flowers appear during May.
