Lady's slipper - This is one of the varieties of orchids.
There is a legend that speaks of Venus and Adonis. When Venus descended to Adonis on Earth for a walk in the summer forest, a strong thunderstorm began. Hiding from the storm, they hid under the trees, and Venus took off her soaked shoes and laid them on the ground. At this time, a wanderer passed by and noticed one of the shoes. Deciding to pick it up for himself, he reached out for him, and ... the golden slipper turned into a beautiful flower.
Beautiful legend, is not it? In any case, it is more beautiful than the scientific name of this orchid - cypripodium. On the varieties of plants venerin slipper and its description will be discussed in this article.
Did you know? In the people the plant is called simply - an orchid a lady's slipper.
Slipper present (Cypripedium calceolus)
This is a perennial rhizomatous flower. Slipper real Venus can grow up to 40 centimeters. Rhizome thick, short, lies horizontally. Its flowers are large, have a faint aroma.
The sepals and petals are red-brown in color, the lip is bright yellow and yellowish-green. Other varieties of colors can be found: red, yellow, green, white, brown with a white lip. 
Cypripedium calceolus has a long period of mycotrophic development. These flowers usually bloom in late spring, early summer, and begin to bear fruit in August. You can propagate with the help of seeds and branching rhizomes. Used in floristics, this is one of the reasons for reducing the number of plants.
Large-flowered slipper (Cypripedium macranthon)
Another rare orchid species is Cypripedium macranthon. This is a herbaceous perennial, growing to 45 centimeters in height. The leaves of the flower are oval, slightly pointed towards the end, have small hairs.
In nature, there are many varieties of colors, you can find pink, purple, purple with cherry dots. A flower can be distinguished by a characteristic swollen lip, which is often covered with dots and specks and has a motley color. After the flower has blossomed, the ovary is formed with a "box" in which the fruit is stored. 
This type of slipper is not only pleasing to the eye with its beauty, but also can be used in medicine. In the plant were found beneficial substances, such as oxalic acid, ascorbic acid.
Slipper is prescribed for many diseases: children's fright, insomnia, headaches, epilepsy, problems with the genitourinary system, mental illness.
Important! It has been scientifically proven sedative and hypotensive effect of the flower on the human body.
Spotted slipper (Cypripedium guttatum)
Spotted slipper or drip slipper, is another representative of the herbaceous perennial plant of the Orchid family. Like the rest of the brethren, has a thin creeping creeping rhizome. Stem reaches 30 centimeters in height, glandular-hairy in appearance. 
Sessile leaves reach 10 centimeters in length and 5 cm in width - broadly elliptical with a smooth edge, sometimes pubescent from the bottom. This is a single flower with white spots of purple color, in which the top leaf is white. From May to June, the shoe blooms.
Important! The flower is considered very toxic.
Stemless Stepper (Cypripedium acaule)
This interesting orchid with a wonderful fragrant aroma was discovered in 1789 in America. This type of shoe is quite difficult to grow, but if you try to create the necessary conditions for it, it will feel great.
The flower has a short rhizome with aerial stem. Two ground leaf 20 centimeters in length and 8 cm in width. Leaves are thick, folded, broadly oval or oblong. Sometimes there is a flower with a small leaf.
Almost identical petals and sepals greenish-purple. The lip is not more than 5 centimeters. Because of the longitudinal fold, it seems that it is split. Most often there are flowers with a pink lip, but sometimes it can be found with a white one. At the base of the lips are long blond hairs.
Californian slipper (Cypripedium californicum)
One of the brightest and most exotic representatives of the species - Californian slipper. It is an endemic that lives exclusively in Oregon or the mountains of California. She loves places with high humidity, is surprisingly resistant to external stimuli.
This is an unusual flower with a miniature lip of a delicate cream color and yellow flowers on the sides. This is a tall flower, it can grow up to 90 centimeters. At the same time on the stem can be up to 12 flowers, but, unfortunately, they do not exude flavor.
Did you know? Endemic - a plant or animal that lives exclusively on one territory.
Buck slipper (Cypripedium fasciculatum)
This species is often found in the western forests of America. Relatively high, up to 40 centimeters in height. The flower has two opposite leaves, located in the middle of the woolly stem.
Leaves up to 10 centimeters in length and up to 7 cm in width. Direct and stable inflorescences can have up to 4 greenish flowers. Lip only 1 cm in length greenish-yellow color with purple veins.
Baranogol's slipper (Cypripedium arietinum)
The ram-headed slipper has chosen for itself the north-eastern forests of America. The flower loves damp and moderately warm. It grows up to 30 centimeters in height. It has weak and thin leaves and stems.
There are 2-4 lanceolate or elliptical leaflets up to 10 centimeters in length and 8 cm in width. Flowers are small, solitary, apical. Lanceolate and consolidated sepals up to 2 centimeters in length. 
Linear petals of the same length as the flowers. Whole lip shorter than petals. By the end, it narrows and enters the appendage. There are red and white lips with purple veins. Near the opening are woolly hairs. It blooms in early summer.
Snow-white slipper (Cypripedium candidum)
Halo flower habitat - wet meadows and marshy places in the eastern United States. Low plants up to 30 centimeters in height with a short rhizome. At the bottom of the stem is covered with scaly vaginas.
Up to 4 lanceolate, pointed or sharp leaves up to 12 centimeters in length and 4 cm in width. The snow-white lady's bag has small two-centimeter single flowers and lanceolate sepals. They are the same, slightly longer than the lip.
Color sepals green with purple spots. Slightly twisted petals longer than sepals. White lip with purple strokes inside measuring about 2 centimeters. Blooms by the end of spring.
Queen's Slipper (Cypripedium reginae)
A tall herb that reaches 60 centimeters in height, with a very short rhizome. Strong, erect stems are completely woolly, pubescent. Leaves up to 25 centimeters in length and 10 cm in width oval, sharp, light green color. 
Flowers grow to 8 centimeters, most often white or pinkish. Lip swollen, white with purple stripes. Blooms in mid-summer. Can safely tolerate frosts up to -37 degrees without losing blooming properties.
Fluffy slipper (Cypripedium pubescens)
Fluffy Slipper can be found in damp forests and swampy areas. In height can reach 50 centimeters. On the stem are up to 4 alternate leaves. 
Often there are single flowers, but you can see 2-3 flowers on one stem. Petals are curved, already sepals. Green leaves and sepals. The lip is light green or bright yellow with red veins, slightly convex in front.
Small Flower (Cypripedium parviflorum)
Small flower slipper grows in wetlands and mountains. It grows up to 7 centimeters in height. On the stem up to 4 oval or elliptical leaves up to 15 centimeters in length and 8 cm in width. 
The plant has 2 fragrant flowers. Oval sepals green with purple stripes. Most often they are longer lips. Brown petals are narrow and long, intertwined 4 or 6 times.
Bright yellow lip with purple stripes reaches 5 centimeters, quite swollen and slightly compressed along the longitudinal axis. Blooms in late spring and blooms to half summer.
Mountain slipper (Cypripedium montanum)
The flower is widely distributed in forests with high humidity. It grows up to 70 centimeters in height. The stem is slightly pubescent and leafy. The leaves are egg-shaped 16 centimeters long and 8 centimeters wide.
There may be up to 3 simultaneously growing, almost sessile flowers. Flowers exude a pleasant, fragrant scent.
Pointed seven centimeter sepals brown and purple. Wavy and curved petals with the same color. Purple three-centimeter lip has an oblong shape.
These are the most common varieties of plants lady's slipper, we introduced you to their photos and descriptions.
