Common Name: Spotted Lady's Slipper

General Information

Cypripedium guttatum is a herbaceous perennial plant with a long, slender, creeping rhizome; it produces 2 leaves (rarely 3) on erect flowering stems that are 12 - 25cm tall[, , ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for use as a medicine. It is grown as an ornamerntal in gardens.
Cypripedium guttatum has a very large distribution area within which it is found in many locations of various size and numbers. Population are declining in European Russia but are stable in North America. From a global view, and the wide distribution range the species is at low risk of extinction as the existing threats to the species and its habitats are unlikely to cause the species to decline rapidly in the near future, in particular if the conservation measures that have been suggested are followed. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2014)[].

Known Hazards

We have no specific reports for this species but, especially during the flowering season, the glandular hairs on the leaves and stems of some N. American members of this genus can cause a rash, similar to poison ivy rash[, ]. The irritation is usually minor, or only lasts for a few minutes[].
We have no specific information for this species, but it has been stated that the roots of at least one member of the genus may cause psychedelic reactions, and large doses may result in giddiness, restlessness, headache, mental excitement and visual hallucinations[].

Botanical References

,

Range

Eurasia - western Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, east to Russian Far East, Japan, Korea and eastern Himalayas; Northwest N. America - Alaska, Yukon

Habitat

Moist to dry open deciduous and spruce forest, tundra, meadows, scree; at elevations up to 800 metres, though to 4,100 metres in the south of its Asia range[, ].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.20 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Cypripedium guttatum is a very cold-tolerant plant, when fully dormant it can withstand temperatures down to about -30°c[].
Prefers a position in partial to deep shade[]. Found wild in moist, acidic to neutral substrates or wet swampy soil, but can still grow on rocky substrates and sandy soils[]. It can be found in both open and shady habitats over a wide geographical range because of a greater efficiency in photochemical utilisation of absorbed light energy and a lower non-photochemical dissipation of excess light energy, but does best with 45 % sunlight[]
Orchids are, in general, shallow-rooting plants of well-drained low-fertility soils. Their symbiotic relationship with a fungus in the soil allows them to obtain sufficient nutrients and be able to compete successfully with other plants. They are very sensitive to the addition of fertilizers or fungicides since these can harm the symbiotic fungus and thus kill the orchid[].
The flowers of Cypripedium species belong to the group of 'trap' flowers. An insect as it crawls in, can only escape from the slipper-like labellum through a tunnel near the base of the labellum from where it is directed first to the nearby stigma where possible pollinia from another flower on its back are stripped off and while escaping, sticky pollen from the nearby anthers adhere to its back for the pollination of another flower[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

Cypripedium guttatum has been used for many purposes:
The plant is taken in a sweetened concoction and used as a diuretic and a strong sedative against headaches and upper abdominal pain[].
The roots and leaves aren used in eastern Russia and Siberia to treat epilepsy[].
The stems are used to make soups that are used as medicines to dilate blood vessels and stimulate appetite[].

Cypripedin, a powder produced by precipitating a tincture of the root with water, is said to have greater powers than the root and was given to children instead of opium[].
Plants in this genus were used as a gentle nervous stimulant or antispasmodic[].
Roots were chewed as a sedative especially during menstruation and childbirth[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - surface sow, preferably as soon as it is ripe, in the greenhouse and do not allow the compost to dry out. The seed of this species is extremely simple, it has a minute embryo surrounded by a single layer of protective cells. It contains very little food reserves and depends upon a symbiotic relationship with a species of soil-dwelling fungus. The fungal hyphae invade the seed and enter the cells of the embryo. The orchid soon begins to digest the fungal tissue and this acts as a food supply for the plant until it is able to obtain nutrients from decaying material in the soil[]. It is best to use some of the soil that is growing around established plants in order to introduce the fungus, or to sow the seed around a plant of the same species and allow the seedlings to grow on until they are large enough to move.
Division with care in early spring, the plants resent disturbance[]. Remove part of the original rootball, making sure to keep some of the soil around it intact[].
Division is best carried out towards the end of the growing season, since food reserves are fairly evenly distributed through the rhizome[]. Small divisions of a lead and two buds, or divisions from the back (older) part of the rhizome without any developed buds, establish quickly using this method[]. Replant immediately in situ[].