Cypripedium molle Lindl. 1841 SECTION Irapeana

Plant and Flowers ensitu Photos courtesy of Weyman Bussey

Common Name The Soft Cypripedium

Flower Size 2.4" [6 cm]

Found in Oaxaca and Puebla states of Mexico in seasonally dry oak and pine-oak forests on reddish, clayey, lateritic soils on limestone at elevations of 1750 to 2400 meters as a medium to large sized, warm to cool growing terrestrial with to 15, erect, terete stems per season that are enveloped by 7 to 9, basal, imbricate sheaths and carrying 8 to 18, spread in a spiral all along the stem, concave, narrowly lanceolate-ovate, usually acute to acuminate, vein hugging basally, clear green, conspiculously nerved, densely pilose beneath leaves that blooms in the summer on a terminal, erect, lax, racemose, to 2.4" [6 cm] long, sucessively 1 to 5 flowered inflorescence which rarely can carry 4 large flowers open at once.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum fascile 10 plate 1017 Hagsater & Soto 2008 drawing ok

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------