LADY'S-SLIPPER.
(1) Cypripedium hirsutum Mill and (2) Cypripedium parviflorum Salisb.
Synonym--(1) Cypripedium Pubescens Wild.
Pharmacopoeial Name--Cypripedium.
Other Common Names--(1) Large yellow lady's-slipper, yellow
lady's-slipper, yellow moccasin-flower, Venus'-shoe, Venus'-cup,
yellow Indian-shoe, American valerian, nerve-root, male nervine,
yellow Noah's-ark, yellows, monkey-flower, umbil-root, yellow umbil;
(2) small yellow lady's-slipper.
Habitat and Range--Both of these native species frequent bogs and wet
places in deep shady woods and thickets. The large yellow
lady's-slipper may be found from Nova Scotia south to Alabama and
west to Nebraska and Missouri. The range for the small yellow
lady's-slipper extends from Newfoundland south along the mountains to
Georgia and west to Missouri, Washington and British Columbia.
Description of Plants--The orchid family (Orchicaceae), to which the
lady's-slipper belong, boasts of many beautiful, showy and curious
species and the lady's-slipper is no exception. There are several
other plants to which the name lady's-slipper has been applied, but
one glance at the peculiar structure of the flowers in the species
under consideration, as shown in the illustration will enable any one
to recognize them as soon as seen.
The particular species of lady's-slipper under consideration in this
article do not differ very materially from each other. Both are
perennials, growing from 1 to about 2 feet in height, with rather
large leaves and with yellow flowers more or less marked with purple,
the main difference being that in hirsutum the flower is larger and
pale yellow, while in parviflorum the flower is small, bright yellow,
and perhaps more prominently striped and spotted with purple. The
stem, leaves and inside of corolla or lip are somewhat hairy in the
large yellow lady's-slipper, but not in the small yellow
lady's-slipper. These hairs are said to be irritating to some people
in whom they cause an eruption of the skin.
[Illustration: Large Yellow Lady's Slipper (Cyrpripedium
Hirsutum).]
The leaves of the Lady's-Slipper vary in size from 2 to 6 inches in
length and from 1 to 3 inches in width, and are broadly oval or
elliptic, sharp pointed, with numerous parallel veins, and sheathing
at the base, somewhat hairy in the large Lady's-Slipper. The solitary
terminal flower, which appears from May to June, is very showy and
curiously formed, the lip being the most prominent part. This lip
looks like a large inflated bay (1 to 2 inches long in the large
Lady's-Slipper), pale yellow or bright yellow in color, variously
striped and blotched with purple. The other parts of the flower are
greenish or yellowish, with purple stripes, and the petals are
usually twisted.
Description of Rootstock--The Rootstock is of horizontal growth,
crooked, fleshy and with numerous wavy, fibrous roots. As found in
commerce, the rootstocks are from 1 to 4 inches in length, about an
eighth of an inch in thickness, dark brown, the upper surface showing
numerous round cup-shaped scars, the remains of former annual stems,
and the lower surface thickly covered with wavy, wiry, and brittle
roots, the latter breaking off with a short, white fracture. The odor
is rather heavy and disagreeable and the taste is described as
sweetish, bitter and somewhat pungent.
Collection, Prices and Uses--Both rootstock and roots are used and
these should be collected in autumn, freed from dirt and carefully
dried in the shade. These beautiful plants are becoming rare in many
localities. Sometimes such high priced drugs as golden seal and
senega are found mixed with the lady's-slipper, but as these are more
expensive than the lady's-slipper it is not likely that they are
included with fraudulent intent and they can be readily
distinguished. The prices paid to collectors of this root range from
32 to 35 cents a pound.
The principal use of Lady's-Slipper, which is official in the United
States Pharmacopoeia, is as an antispasmodic and nerve tonic, and it
has been used for the same purposes as valerian.