Orchidaceae
Cypripedium

Cypripedium californicum A.Gray

First published in Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 7: 389 (1868)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is SW. Oregon to N. California. It is a rhizomatous geophyte and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

Biology

Flowering in late May to July.

Distribution

U.S.A. (California, Oregon).

Ecology

In wet marshy places by steep mountain streams and by springs, often growing in shade with Darlingtonia californica (California pitcher plant) and amongst the Calocedrus decurrens (incense cedar); 450-1000 m. Flowering in late May to July.

General Description

A clump-forming terrestrial herb 50-120 cm tall, growing from a short stout rhizome. Stems erect, leafy, glandularpubescent. Leaves 5-10, elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, 5-15 cm long, 2-6 cm wide, pubescent on veins above and below, glandular-ciliate. Inflorescence racemose, laxly four- to twelve-flowered; peduncle and rhachis glandular-pubescent; bracts foliaceous, the largest at the base to 10 cm long, ciliate and pubescent. Flowers developing from the base upwards, small, nutant, with pale yellow-green sepals and petals, and a white lip with yellowish base blotched with brown inside and with lilac lines, the staminode white with green marks, scented like Cyclamen persicum or Convallaria majalis; pedicel and ovary 1.3-2 cm long, densely shortly glandular- pubescent, the pedicel distinct and slender. Dorsal sepal erect, flat, elliptic-ovate, acute, 1.4-2 cm long, 0.7-1.3 cm wide, pubescent on outer surface, glandular-ciliate; synsepal elliptic, minVtely bifid at tip, 1.2-2 cm long, 0.7-1.5 cm wide, pubescent on outer surface, glandular-ciliate. Petals obliquely spreading, lanceolate, acute, 1.4-1.7 cm long, 0.3-0.4 cm wide, pubescent at base and ciliate on upper margin. Lip globose, 1.5-2 cm long, 1-1.4cm wide, with infolded margins. Column 0.5-0.6 cm long; staminode strongly convex, broadly ovate, obtuse, 0.8-0.9 cm long, 0.6 cm wide; filaments short, blunt.

[C-EM]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: low confidence
[AERP]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/43315511/43327619

Conservation
EN - endangered
[IUCN]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Cypripedioideae: e-monocot.org

    • All Rights Reserved

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images