Calypso Orchid

As we walk through the forest to gather sustenance there is a little orchid called fairy slipper
(calypso bulbosa) that is sure to delight. The thrill of discovery brings a smile when we spot this
delicate little beauty rising 4 to 8 inches up from the shady forest floor, especially in coniferous
woodlands rich with organic matter.

A solitary flower on a reddish stalk with a distinctive pouch-like lip that is often lavender or pink,
spotted with magenta and a small cluster of distinct yellow hairs. Narrow upper petals rise
pointed and twisted above the pouch of this fragrant flower.

Its unique shape inspires the common name “fairy slipper”, the “slipper” being a modified petal
called a lip which acts as a landing platform for pollinators. Relying mainly on bumblebees, the
fairy slipper lures them in with color and scent while providing no actual nectar in the process,
this is referred to as pollination by deception.

Considered threatened in many places, this dainty orchid is extremely sensitive to disturbance:
picking the flower or damaging roots is often fatal to the plant. It is best to tread gently and
admire calypso in its natural habitat-taking a moment to savor nature's “soul-food”.

A wild plant that is very difficult to transplant or propagate due to its dependence on specific
mycorrhizae being present in the soil; fairy slipper is a short lived perennial typically lasting 5
years, it can reproduce by seed and vegetatively through underground corms. A bulb forms
each year that will then grow a single basal oval-shaped leaf which appears in the fall and lasts
through the winter, withering shortly after flowering.

The flower produces a single erect seed capsule atop the stem, the dried pod then rattles its
seeds into the wind for dispersal. It takes several years of growth for the tiny seed to produce
an underground corm that will eventually grow a leaf. Mycorrhizae in the soil is essential for
germination and also assists in extending the short root structure.

As spring folds into summer, look for this hidden gem whose plant genus, calypso, comes from
Greek mythology and means concealment or hidden from view. In Homer’s Odyssey, calypso
was a beautiful sea nymph hidden in the woods who was found by Ulysses when he wrecked on
the island of Ogygia; this rare orchid is every bit as enchanting.

Dainty and diminutive but able to stir the joy of discovery and remind us that beauty comes in all
shapes and sizes.