Calypso Bulbosa/Fairy Slipper

[Aki_James]

The wonderful Calypso bulbosa var. americana

I do not support the collection of any wild plants unless they are 100% doomed to death, and the appropriate legal steps have been taken to collect the plants.

I rescued these orchids from a subdivision development near my property with the permission of my provincial government. (well not these exact ones as these are offspring of one of 6 colonies I have thriving in and around my property that I started from the more than 300 plants I hand transplanted by myself more than 5 years ago.

I have had this one 4 inch pot of these plants for many years which I started from corms that broke off during the rescue process. I actually forgot these poor guys in the back of the fridge until 3 weeks ago..I thought for sure I had killed them.

This is one of the easiest terrestrial orchids in my potted collection. I have spend many years studying this plant and have even discovered ways of propagating the plant naturally, being that the plant usually will only grow one new corm(rarely 2) a season, I have been able to get a single plant to grow up to 4 corms in a single season. I hope to someday use this to both help the orchid in nature and help with its possible use as a garden variety.

Feel free to message me if you would like more information on how I do this as it is not a hard process but can be difficult to explain lol, and well I'm kinda lazy.

I can also explain how I care for these plants as a potted plant if people want to know as well (although again, as I don't believe this plant is available on the general market, Please do not go out and try and take them from the wild, and grow them as a garden plant as they will most likely parish if removed from their natural habitat.)

For now I'm just sharing pics.