Lady-Slipper Seed Pods

by Kathy Purdy on October 25, 2009 · 13 comments

in Native/Invasive

Remember this?

Cypripedium acaule, commonly known as Pink Lady-slipper

Now it looks like this:

Seed pods of pink lady-slipper, Cypripedium acaule

I discovered these while on my witch hazel walk.

Lady Slipper Seed Germination

As related by William Cullina in The New England Wild Flower Society Guide to Growing and Propagating Wildflowers (affiliate link):

“The typical lady-slipper seedpod contains between 10,000 and 20,00 seeds!”
The reason they have so many seeds is because the seeds lack endosperm
Without endosperm, the seeds are very light and are spread by the wind
“Without endosperm, orchid seeds cannot germinate unless they become infected by certain soil fungi [Rhizoctonia mycorrhizae], which the seedlings partially digest to obtain the sugars and nutrients necessary for growth.”
“Once a seedling has chlorophyll-containing leaves and a few roots, it . . . becomes less and less dependent on the fungus for survival.”
“At least some species of Rhizoctonia are pathogenic or disease-causing when they infect nonorchidaceous species, such as members of the Mustard family.”

Cullina states

In my experience, adequate sunlight; moisture; and a well-aerated, good organic soil with adequate fertility is all adult lady-slippers need to grow well. In fact, even small seedlings that we have received in sterile bags (growing without mycorrhizae) grow on very well in a sterile, hydroponic mix. It seems clear that once the seedlings have passed out of the critical germination stage, they can grow well in cultivated conditions without mycorrhizae.

However, Cullina says that the pink lady-slipper I have does “not adapt well to cultivation.” I plan to leave them right where they are, and I’m not messing with the seed pods. But I learned a few things tonight and thought I’d share them with you.

In the end, this may be the most important thing about frost: Frost slows us down. In spring, it tempers our eagerness. In fall, it brings closure and rest. In our gotta-go world--where every nanosecond seems to count--slowness can be a great gift. So rather than see Jack Frost as an adversary, you could choose to greet him as a friend.

Philip Harnden

{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }

1 eliz November 3, 2009 at 11:55 pm: I forgot my lady slipper dreams–time to start them up again!

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2 commonweeder November 1, 2009 at 5:32 pm: My friend kathy Puckett is a genius with plants and has added several lady slippers to her garden. It doesn’t hurt that she has a neighbor who grows these commercially.
.-= commonweeder´s last blog ..November Muse Day 2009 =-.

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3 Neil Moran October 31, 2009 at 7:07 am Twitter: @moranwrite: I didn’t find any lady slippers on my walk yesterday in the rain! I would like to try planting them. I’ve got a crew of students in a vocational education program (greenhouse) who could do the fussing that these seeds probably need to germinate. Does anyone have any seed we can try? We’re a nonprofit organization.

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4 Fig Tree October 30, 2009 at 2:41 pm Twitter: @ChickDigtheDirt: My grandmother used to have yellow lady slippers in her garden in Mass.- it was always my favorite every year!

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5 Neil Moran October 30, 2009 at 8:54 am Twitter: @moranwrite: It is raining here today, but I’m still going out to a spot where I know there are Lady’s Slippers and see if I can find seed. Thanks for the information and pics, Kathy.

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6 Randy October 29, 2009 at 10:47 pm: I’d heard that growing ladies slippers from seed was not an easy thing to do. I was on a butterfly club trip in the NCmtns during May several years back and we were lead to see three different wild species of ladies slippers in full bloom!
.-= Randy´s last blog ..Spiced Pears and Pomegranate =-.

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7 Ellen Sousa October 29, 2009 at 4:26 pm: Such a thrill to find Lady Slippers! Consider yourself blessed when they grow without an invitation…they are definitely particular about where they grow and are very difficult to transplant! They do prefer the acidic soil that is typical of New England…I often see them growing near white pines in areas that have been previously disturbed but are now ‘left to nature’.

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8 Cool Garden Things October 29, 2009 at 2:03 pm: I must disagree about the nature and her color harmonies…I have yet to see a color combo that I see in nature that is not devine…but of course I love browns and yellows and grays…and purple…
I always feel the trick is to figure out how she does it just right-because if I tried that color combo it would not work.
GartenGrl
.-= Cool Garden Things´s last blog ..Garden Note to Self: =-.

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9 Helen Yoest @ Gardening With Confidence October 29, 2009 at 1:26 pm Twitter: @HelenYoest: I love these kind of discovering during walks. H.
.-= Helen Yoest @ Gardening With Confidence´s last blog ..The Book of Six © Six Facts About Honey Bees in General =-.

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10 Carol, May Dreams Gardens October 26, 2009 at 8:24 pm Twitter: @Indygardener: It seems some seeds are better left alone. That was great information!
.-= Carol, May Dreams Gardens´s last blog ..A Gardeners’ Guide to "Quantities" =-.

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11 Mr. McGregor's Daughter October 26, 2009 at 4:28 pm Twitter: @suburbangarden: I was jealous then, I’m still jealous now. They are so wonderful.
.-= Mr. McGregor’s Daughter´s last blog ..Book Review: What’s Wrong With My Plant? =-.

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12 Cindy, MCOK October 26, 2009 at 12:19 pm Twitter: @mycornerofkaty: Oh, how I’d love to grow those delicate beauties! Since I can’t, I’ll enjoy them through your posts.

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13 Dee/reddirtramblings October 26, 2009 at 10:22 am Twitter: @reddirtramblin: I am always amazed during my fall nature walks. Things change so dramatically. I love your lady slippers.~~Dee

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