Orchid hunting is usually synonymous with steaming jungles, not a Maine forest. But like their tropical cousins, some of our own native orchids have to be hunted down in their natural habitat, as garden cultivation is difficult and often unsuccessful.
Only by seeing them in their natural setting can one fully appreciate their beauty and struggle for existence, and also hope to pick up some clues as to their successful cultivation in the wildflower garden.
Our hunt actually got its inception from a request I made in an October 1938 FLOWER GROWER article.
I asked readers where I could find stations of the white moccasin flower, Cypripedium acaule albiflorum. The pink form, C. acaule, is quite common, but the white moccasin flower is indeed a treasure.
When a letter was received from Philip D. Phair saying that he would be pleased to take me to an area in his home state of Maine where there were more of the white kind than the pink, I was not slow in accepting his invitation.
At my request, the invitation also included Mr. and Mrs. William A. Smith of Lyndonville, New York, who are also native orchid enthusiasts.
We left Cleveland on June 11, 1940, our destination Aroostook County in northeastern Maine, which contains sections where many wild orchids are yet to be found.
Hunt For White Moccasin
Wild orchids usually have to be hunted unless one is fortunate in being guided by someone who is familiar with their habitats.
While in the New England states, we scarcely expected to see any of them from the highways, but we did see a few pink C. acaule along the roadside in New Hampshire and the large yellow lady slipper, Cypripedium calceolus pubescens, as we drove past a hog in Maine.
It was in Tamworth, New Hampshire, that we saw the pink acaule in any numbers. The “slippers” were the largest we had ever seen, with strong stems about a foot long and colors ranging from dark pink to light pink.
But none of these were actually white! As we were eating breakfast in Old Towne, Maine, we first saw the white moccasin flower that stood in a vase on a table in the corner of the dining room.
We finally arrived at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Phair. Mr. Phair proved to be exceptionally well informed on the native orchids of the section, and his own garden contained a number of the species, including the white moccasin flower.
I had never seen a larger or finer group of large yellow lady slippers than were growing near the house.
There were hundreds of them, all revealing the various types of shapes and sizes which are characteristic of that species.
Seeking Calypso Bulbosa
The next morning we began our hunt, first seeking Calypso bulbosa (borealis), which I had never seen. Mr. Phair was first to find a few plants hiding, almost successfully, in their mossy retreat.
I decided that as far as I was concerned, it would always be referred to by the common name of “Hider of the North,” for had it not been pointed out to me, I would certainly have missed seeing it. The flowers were at their best.
Another bog that we visited that day contained many fine specimens of the delicate little pink Arethusa bulbosa.
Next, we visited a forest that was being cut over, and there, nestled beside a lichen-covered log, we found a pure white moccasin flower, its pair of leaves close to the ground and the blossom borne on a naked scape about 8″ inches tall.
The old log made an ideal background for its display. There were a number of smaller plants nearby that had not as yet bloomed.
Rare Orchis Rotundifolia
We also found one of the rarest orchids, the small round-leaf orchid, Orchis rotundifolia. This delicate little flower is considered an exceptional find.
Calypso is also quite rare in the United States but is said to grow plentifully in some parts of Alaska and as far north as the Arctic Circle.
How the delicate little flower and plant. which arises from a small corm, can survive the intense cold of the far north is a query that only Mother Nature can answer.
Trail To Moccasin Flowers
Permission to hunt orchids in a 10,000-acre forest had been obtained by Mr. Phair, and we were soon on our way.
We drove in as far as we could; then, with the aid of a guide and a young man to carry out supplies, we went on foot the three or four miles to a log cabin that was to be our camp.
The trail was a logging trail, a considerable part of which was boggy and often led through water holes that we had to bypass.
This trail took us to the white moccasin flowers. We also found types of bloom ranging in color from dark pink through lighter shades to pure white, which were indeed more plentiful than the usual pink.
Evolution, or at least mutation, had here touched Cypripedium acaule, and the results were there before our eyes. We cut blooms with all the gradations of color, arranged them in series from dark pink to white, and took color pictures of them.
Imagine our pleasure and surprise when we entered the cabin to find upon the table a container in which there were many beautiful freshly cut white slippers, gathered by someone who had occupied the cabin before our arrival.
Best of all, behind the cabin, we found pink and white types growing close to the building and a plant of clintonia in bloom. Their position seemed to indicate they had been transplanted there, a clue to the possibility of successful transplanting when conditions are to their liking.
The usual reports of efforts to transplant C. acaule are discouraging, the plants possibly blooming the next year, coming up the second year without blooming, and disappearing the third year.
The next day we retraced our route of the day before but strayed here and there as we saw more orchids.
Among the finds were the early coralroot, Corallorhiza Trifida, and the large round-leaved orchid. Habenaria orbiculata, neither of which is beautiful, but of botanical interest.
We had traced the white moccasin flower to its lair in the cold, wet north and in so doing, had experienced the joy of a successful orchid hunt and the warmth of new friendships and hospitality which had been bestowed upon us through a mutual interest in orchids.
Growing Native Orchids
To witness wild orchids as they grow in their native habitat is sure to create a desire to grow them in the wildflower garden.
Fortunately, this is possible with some species if suitable soil and environmental conditions under which they have grown naturally can be simulated.
I have not only cultivated some in my own garden but have seen a number of other instances of their successful cultivation.
The cypripediums are the most desirable, but habenarias, such as H. fimbriata, make beautiful additions to the wildflower garden.
I strongly urge that wild orchids not be taken from an area where they may be growing on private grounds! The owner may be just as fond of them as you are. Permission should be first obtained.
Plants are best secured from someone who offers them for sale and who collects them where they grow in abundance or collected from an area about to be cultivated and the plants sacrificed. Efforts should be made to grow native orchids from seeds and thus multiply them.
Some of the best advice I have seen concerning the culture of wild orchids is found in the recent volume, “Native Orchids of North America.” by Prof. Donovan Stewart Correll.
The cultural notes have been written by Prof. Edgar T. Wherry of the University of Pennsylvania, and John V. Watkins of the University of Florida, both of whom are well qualified to give advice on culture.
The large yellow slipper, Cypripedium calceolus pubescens, is one of the most beautiful of the lady slippers and the one which can be grown with the greatest success. The best time to make plantings is the autumn after the plants become dormant.
Growing Requirements Of Mocassin Flowers
The pink and white moccasin flowers, Cypripedium acaule and C. acaule albiflorum are the most beautiful lady-slippers, but unfortunately the most difficult to transplant successfully.
They grow in deep sphagnum bogs, as we found them in Maine or on a hillside under pine trees. A highly acid soil seems essential to their culture, and great care should be used in taking up the plants to avoid injuring the roots.
Even that does not assure successful transplanting. Moderate shade seems essential to this species, but the temperature is not important as the plant is found in North Carolina as well as near the Arctic Circle.
Unless the most favorable conditions can be provided for its cultivation, it had best be enjoyed in its natural habitat, and no attempt be made to move it to a less favorable location in the garden.
Transplanting Queen’s Lady Slipper
The queen’s lady slipper, Cypripedium reginae (spectabile), seems less difficult to transplant. I have had it bloom beautifully in my garden for a number of years.
They are usually found in damp, boggy locations, and an artificial bog should be made in which to grow them.
I might suggest burying an old bathtub, leaving the drain hole open, and filling it with good soil that should be neutral. However, planting in some natural boggy locations would offer the best conditions for success.
Transplanting Habenaria Fimbriata
Various habenarias, such as the beautiful H. fimbriata may also be transplanted and grown successfully in good soil and partial shade. This species is known as the purple-fringed orchid and has a spike of fringed, deep pink flowers. Pure white specimens have also been found.
I have grown several species as pot plants, potting them in the autumn, placing them outside in a cold frame until they have become well rooted, then bringing them into a cool location in the greenhouse just as one would treat bulbs.
The plants soon come into bloom, and the flowers last several weeks. Cypripediums are most desirable for this culture and, after flowering, should be grown in the pots until matured. The following spring, they can be put outside.
Perpetuating Native Orchids
Every effort should be made to perpetuate our native orchids and save them from extinction.
The draining of swamps, clearing of forests, and cultivation of the land are rapidly reducing their numbers, and few are yet to be seen in many areas.
Plantings might be made in our parks. and efforts made to grow them from seed. This is a challenge to one’s ability.
When picking their flowers, the leaves should be left on the plant to mature the root and thus assure its growth the next year.
I shall be interested in reports of success with our native orchids. Let us hear of your experiences in germinating native orchid seeds.
44659 by Dr. Norman C. Yarian