Cypripedium japonicum

Cypripedium japonicum Thunb., Syst. Veg., ed. 14 (J. A. Murray). 817 (1784).

Cypripedium japonicum Thunb., Photo by Kevin Holcomb

its native range is Central & S. China, S. Korea, Japan.

Latinh Name: 

Cypripedium japonicum Thunb.

Family: 

Orchidaceae Juss.

Synonym:

Cypripedium cathayenum S.S.Chien

Cypripedium japonicum var. glabrum M.Suzuki

English Name:

The Japan Cypripedium.

Japan name: 

Kumagae-So

Chinese name:

Shan Mai Shao Lan - 扇脉杓兰 .

Description: 

Plants 35-55 cm tall, with a relatively slender, creeping rhizome 3-4 mm in diam. Stem erect, brown tomentose, with several sheaths in lower part and 2 subopposite or rarely 3 nearly alternate leaves near middle. Leaf blade flabellate, 10-16 × 10-21 cm, both surfaces hairy toward base, with many radiating veins reaching margin of apical half, base subcuneate, margin undulate, minutely ciliate. Inflorescence terminal, with 1 flower; peduncle brown tomentose; floral bracts foliaceous, rhombic or ovate-lanceolate, 2.5-5 × 1-2(-3) cm, glabrous, minutely ciliate; pedicel and ovary 2-3 cm, densely hairy. Flowers pendulous; sepals and petals greenish yellow, base ± spotted with purple; lip yellowish pink to whitish, ± marked with purplish red spots and stripes. Dorsal sepal narrowly elliptic or narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, 4.5-5.5 × 1.5-2 cm, glabrous, apex acuminate; synsepal similar to dorsal sepal, 4-5 × 1.5-2.5 cm, apex shallowly 2-lobed. Petals obliquely lanceolate, 4-5 × 1-1.2 cm, villous toward adaxial base, apex acuminate; lip pendulous, pouched, subellipsoid or obovoid, 4-5 × 3-3.5 cm, strongly grooved-margined around mouth. Staminode elliptic, ca. 10 × 6-7 mm, base shortly auriculate. Capsule subfusiform, 4.5-5 × ca. 1.2 cm, sparsely puberulent.

Distribution:

Japan (Awaji, Kyushu, S. Hokkaido, NE. Honshu, Sado, Shikoku), Korea, China (Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, S. Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, NE. Guizhou).

Ecological:

In humus rich soils in forests and on shady slopes along ravines in bamboo at elevations of 1000 to 2000 meters as a small to medium sized, cold growing terrestrial.

Flowering times:

Blooms in the spring.

Flower size:

10.0 cm.

Cultivation:

Grow plant in partial shade . Plants are difficult to establish and the rhizomes require a lots of space to creep.

Notes:  

This species is closely related to Cyp. fomosanum.  They are a bit larger bloomed and taller than the later species. Blooming size plants

Type:

Type Information: Distribution Of Types Japan.