About Cypripedium kentuckiense C.F.Reed
Cypripedium kentuckiense produces the largest flower of any species in the genus Cypripedium. Its petals and sepals are greenish with purple stripes and mottling, and its very large lip (or pouch) is creamy ivory or pale yellow in color. The entire plant can grow up to 70 cm (28 inches) tall, and bears leaf-like bracts that reach up to 12 cm (4.7 inches) long. Individual plants almost always produce only one flower each. This orchid is found across a broad region of the Southern United States, including the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. There is also a small isolated population of the species located in Lancaster County, Virginia. C. kentuckiense does not have a continuous range, and its distribution is mostly made up of relatively separate, isolated patches. It grows in a wide variety of habitat types, including floodplains, ravines, forests, and other areas with acidic or sandy soil.
