What is this?We have seen this plant at Oak Opening, and it was a real treat to find it. It is a flower that Chris has been trying to find for years. On a recent ONAPA walk with Guy Denny, it was pointed out just a few feet from the edge of a road. AMAZING!
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Yellow Ladies Slippers
Cypripedium pubescens
Orchid family (Orchidaceae)
It is easy to see how the plant's common name came about, with the flower forming a neat little pocket.
It has clasping leaves on the stem with parallel leaves (it is a monocot). But it is the flower that makes this plant unforgettable. On the Guy Denny ONAPA walk (see link for ONAPA), it was pointed out that the seedlings need a certain fungus (mycorrhizal fungi) in the ground, which garlic mustard roots kill. So all garlic mustard in the area was removed. Many plants need this fungus, which is why garlic mustard is such a bad invasive.
For more information, see this link: Illinois Wildflowers
Orchid family (Orchidaceae)
It is easy to see how the plant's common name came about, with the flower forming a neat little pocket.
It has clasping leaves on the stem with parallel leaves (it is a monocot). But it is the flower that makes this plant unforgettable. On the Guy Denny ONAPA walk (see link for ONAPA), it was pointed out that the seedlings need a certain fungus (mycorrhizal fungi) in the ground, which garlic mustard roots kill. So all garlic mustard in the area was removed. Many plants need this fungus, which is why garlic mustard is such a bad invasive.
For more information, see this link: Illinois Wildflowers