Yellow lady's-slipper is a native orchid found in forested areas, open meadows and along streams of the United States and Canada. It is found in the Piedmont and mountains of NC. The leaves are usually hairy and the unusual flower occurs in late spring to early summer. The slipper-like flowers have a bright yellow lower lip that is red-spotted inside. The upper sepals are light to dark burgundy and twist outward in spirals. Deer love to eat this plant. The plant varies per region as to the size of the flower and leaves and the amount of hairiness on the leaves and stems. The variety found in NC is var. parviflorum . It is listed as imperiled. Yellow lady's-slipper is one of the easier orchids to grow in the garden. It will need to be planted on compost-amended soil where the roots can be spread out horizontally on top of the soil, then covered in compost since the roots do not grow into the soil like most plants. It prefers partial shady conditions and will form colonies over time. Use in a native woodland garden.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Spreading
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
3-5 light to medium green leaves with darker venation are oval to ovate, up to 6 inches long and 4 inches across. The base is clasping to the stem. Hairs present.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Red/Burgundy
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Solitary
Flower shape
Lipped
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
1-2 flowers per stem are 1.5 to 2 inches long. The petals and sepals range from pale to deep magenta-brown and twist outwards in spirals. The lower lip is pouch-like, intense yellow with reddish spotty venation inside. Flowers can vary depending on the region. Blooms late spring to early summer.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit detail
Seedpods split open to release fine seeds that are carried by the wind
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
4-5 stems per plant and covered with hairs
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Canada and U.S.A.
Distribution
AK , AL , AR , AZ , CA , CO , CT , DC , DE , GA , IA , ID , IL , IN , KS , KY , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , MT , NC , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NY , OH , PA , RI , SC , SD , TN , TX , UT , VA , VT , WA , WI , WV , WY Canada: AB , BC , MB , NB , NL , NS , NT , ON , PE , QC , SK