The lady's slipper: description, tips for growing

Once the beautiful goddess Venus wandered into the Northern forests. Tired after a long journey, decided to give his legs a rest, kicked off my shoes, and forgot about them. And they have become in the beautiful flower, called “lady's slipper”. A description of the origin of this plant, won the love of many gardeners, like a beautiful fairy tale.

Legend of venerina slipper

Indeed, the form of the calyx looks similar to a slipper, and nearby petals resemble velvet ribbon. In Russia this plant is also called Bogorodichny boots, cuckoo shoes; in Europe referred to as ladies ' shoes, and in America – loafers. Growing lady's slipper? What legends are associated with it?

Ancient mythology tells that once, while hunting a goddess Venus and Adonis was suddenly caught in a storm. The couple took refuge in a cave, and his sodden shoes Venus was left at the entrance. Passing a random stranger did not notice the goddess and her lover, but saw the land of gold shoes. As soon as he bent down to pick them, the last one turned into beautiful flowers. Understand people, that in a cave the rest of the gods, and went on. Since then, growing in the forests of extraordinary beauty flower – the lady's slipper.

The lady's slipper: description

It is a herbaceous perennial plant of the family Orchidaceae, numbering more than fifty types. The color of leaves green, dark green or greyish marble with their length of about 30 centimeters. Each leafy rosette produces by 40-inch height single peduncle, which is one - or many-flowered. The Flowers are pollinated by bees and have very different colors: yellow, white, purple, brown or green, and a pleasant vanilla scent complements the original appearance. Often there are striped and spotted specimens. Stem often pubescent, can be very short (only a couple leaves seem to surface) or quite high, with large alternate leaves and flowers 6-12 complex structure which is like a trap. Getting inside her, pollinating insects are attracted by the bright color of the flower, unable to get out through the tiny holes in the rear wall of the pouch, have epilep plant. Fertilized the lady's slipper real slowly begins to fade. At the end of summer is the maturation of many seeds tiny, like dust. Most of the planting material is dispersed in the air before reaching the soil surface. Trapped in the soil will germinate under condition of the presence of scanty fungi-symbionts, which penetrate into the tissue of the embryo and contribute to the formation of germs and further development of plants.

Recommended

The most effective methods of seed germination

Despite the fact that the method of seedling in vegetable production is a very time consuming process, it is used by most gardeners. Planting seeds in open ground is an easy and convenient method, but it is effective only in certain climatic zones. I...

Retro-reflective paint. The scope of

When the vehicle began to fill the road, their popularity began to gain reflective paint. Thanks to this paint, as drivers and pedestrians becomes much easier to avoid accidents in the dark. Purpose paint Reflective paint – paint material, whic...

How to make icon with your own hands - options izgotovleniya (simple and complex)

In Soviet times, many collecting badges, emblems, pennants. To get them was not easy. And today, thanks to technology, you can make them yourself. Knowing how to make icon with your own hands, and you can make original gifts to your friends, and make...

Living in natural conditions

Fifteen years required venerina the Shoe in order to please the world with their blooms. As protection against the possibility of being eaten by some herbivorous animal flower uses a caustic and poisonous juice. For a person it poses no danger, but rather widely distributed in folk medicine.

The nature of the plant lady's slipper grows in groups, prefer dimly lit places, situated among moss and in the shade of the trees. Also the flower comfortably on the bluffs of the rivers and creeks in coniferous and mixed forests on well-watered, rich in lime soil. Growing lady's slipper? On the territory of Russia in the natural environment the lady's slipper is rare. Its widely used in North and South America, Mongolia, Japan, China (mountain areas).

Features of cultural cultivation

The lady's slipper this is already long adapted to the cultural cultivation and requires proper care, as close as possible to natural conditions. The lack of drafts and direct sunlight – mandatory rule for qualitative growth. Seat it is advisable to choose in the shade, as the soil is the best substrate complex structure (sphagnum moss, fine bark, charcoal, crushed shells of walnuts, chalk or dolomite flour).

For indoor growing should choose wide capacitance horizontal root system, which is characterized by the lady's slipper. Description of the planting process is similar to other plants; at the bottom of the pot should be placed coarser substrate, and small moisture capacity and is closer to the surface.

The lady's slipper: care

Watering the plant is recommended regular and abundant, causing a constant humidity of the substrate. In the summer, moisten the soil frequently, in winter, during dormancy, at least. Water is room temperature when watering it should not get to the base of the stem, to prevent it from rotting. In hot weather the plant should be frequently sprayed or artificially increase the humidity. Feeding venominaga Shoe need to produce a solution of complex mineral fertilizer of low concentration is introduced when watering(about 1 every 2-3 weeks), winter-once a month.

Reproduction

Reproduction venominaga Shoe is produced vegetatively by dividing the rhizome. The most favorable time for this operation is considered the end of summer – the mid-autumn. Part of the rhizome with multiple child kidneys to be planted in the substrate at a shallow depth, then sprinkle a thin layer of earth. In this state, planted orchids survive the winter, and in spring to form new shoots. In winter, the drop-off location venominaga the Shoe, it is recommended to cover foam or dry leaves. Transplant venominaga Shoe is done every 3 years. To make it it is necessary very carefully, eliminating the possibility of damage to the roots, otherwise it may lead to death of the plant.

The lady's slipper, which is interesting to many gardeners, resistant to diseases, but sometimes may be affected by spider mites or mealy worm.

The lady's slipper: on the brink of extinction

The Economic activity of man is bad in nature, including suffers from it, and the lady's slipper. The red book contains this plant as having the ability to disappear forever from the face of the Earth because of exposure to external factors. Deforestation, land reclamation, demolition of fertilizers from the fields – factors that lead to the complete disappearance of this amazing creation of nature. If we add to this an overwhelming desire to leave this flower as a souvenir, pick it up and take it home, the eradication of forest orchids accelerated significantly. Therefore, all European States carefully guard the lady's slipper. Red book – the way to protect the plant from his voluntary and involuntary destruction.

The lady's slipper: types

In nature the most common are the following types of plant:

• Lady's slipper of ordinary. Is characterized by a height of about 50 cm horizontal rhizome, large leaves elliptical shape, the original shape flower with bright yellow televizni lip and brownish bracts. Flowering occurs in July.
• Lady's slipper spotty. Characterized by the original flower is white or pinkish in color with dark purple spots.
• Lady's slipper large-flowered. Widely used for breeding of hybrids, has large, up to 10 cm in diameter, bright pink flowers. Flowering occurs in may.

The lady's slipper is widely used for decoration of garden plots. It looks nice in monolitnykh, suitable for decorating shady areas where most plants feels uncomfortable. Some types of orchids can become the highlight of the rock garden.