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Species library › Cypripedium › Cypripedium reginae
Orchids Well documented

Cypripedium reginae

The showy lady's slipper is a large terrestrial orchid of fens, wooded swamps and riverbanks across north-eastern North America. It needs a cold winter dormancy, cool, constantly moist neutral-to-alkaline soil, and partial shade. It is best grown outdoors in a prepared bog or fen bed, not indoors.

Cypripedium reginae
Photo: Orchi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

It grows in wetlands such as fens, wooded swamps and riverbanks, often in mossy ground on neutral to slightly basic soil. Its rhizome sits just below the surface.

Recorded elevations are -14 to 488 m (median 242 m).

OntarioQuébecMinnesotaMichiganWisconsinNew YorkMaineNova ScotiaManitobaSaskatchewan

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.