Question: I saw this plant while walking at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. I have not been able to ID it …
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Question
I saw this plant while walking at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. I have not been able to ID it and there wasn't any staff available to ask. It was about 6 feet off trail growing with sarsaparilla, blue bead lily, Canada mayflower, Solomon's seal and low bush blueberry in a forested understory of mainly pines and oaks. The spathes were between one and two feet tall and the leaves were about 8 inches long (these are approximations as I didn't want to go off trail).
Answer
Dear Janda, you've photographed Cypripedium acaule (pink lady's-slipper). These plants are past flowering, so the bract you see would be subtending a capsule (the fruit). Best wishes.
