Transplanting Pink lady-slipper (Cypripedium acaule) - William Cullina

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It is well known that all orchids have evolved a very sophisticated strategy for seed germination. Orchid seeds are tiny and lack well developed embryos. To germinate, the seed must come in contact with a specific soil fungus which surrounds the seed as if to digest it. The fungal roots (hyphae) penetrate the seed and then the orchid turns the tide, digesting the fungus instead. It seems that the fungus gets nothing from this arrangement except to be eaten, so rather than the symbiotic relationship found with most mychorrizal interactions, in this case the union is more properly called micoparisitism. After 3-4 years in the soil growing larger at the expense of the fungus, the seeding emerges and begins to photosynthesize for its food. At this point, it is unclear how important the fungus becomes to the more mature lady-slipper. Mature plants can remain underground for several years after a bad drought, predation, or other trauma, so it does appear that some continued relationship is important to the health of the plant. One plant that I moved in 1990 grew for a few years then disappeared, only to appear and bloom again in 2005 then disappear in 2006 and reappear in 2007 as a two-leaved but non-flowering plant! Just how widespread the proper group of fungi is through the range of the orchid is unclear, but absence of plants in apparently suitable habitat does not necessarily mean there is no fungus present. The most important consideration when choosing a spot for relocation is the pH of the soil, the available light, and potential competition from other plants. The pH of the soil is important because unless the soil is extremely acidic, C. acaule is prone to attack by root diseases that are naturally suppressed at low pH. Soils with a pH below 5.0 are optimal. You can test the soil with inexpensive pH test kits or look for indicator plants that like a similar habitat (obviously, if pink lady-slippers grow there already, it is ideal). In our area of southern New England as well as most parts of Central and Northern New England, the soils are considered to be very acidic. Pines, oaks, hickories, spruce, fir, and paper birch are common canopy species in pink lady-slipper habitat. Some indicator plants to for at ground level include:
Dendrolycopodium dendroideum Chimaphila maculata Gautheria procumbens (and other clubmosses) (spotted wintergreen) (wintergreen, checkerberry) Vaccinium angustifolium Gaylussacia baccata Kalmia angustifolia (lowbush blueberry and (black huckleberry) (sheep laurel) other blueberries) Pink lady-slippers do poorly in deep shade, and this is the most common reason they disappear over time from a given woods. They are most abundant in either very old forests with a mixed and broken canopy or in young forest regenerating after logging or fire. Road cuts and other edge habitats are also good places to find them. I look for places where the tree canopy has some gaps from windfalls or timber harvest to site
Page 1: Transplanting Pink lady-slippers (C
Page 5 and 6: Though in an emergency, you can suc
Page 7 and 8: transplant, they will stop growing
Page 9 and 10: Set the plant into this shallow hol
Page 11 and 12: The finished plant with unrotted le

Transplanting Pink lady-slipper (Cypripedium acaule) - William Cullina

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