SKIP TO CONTENT

lady's slipper

Definitions of lady's slipper
  1. noun
    any of several chiefly American wildflowers having an inflated pouchlike lip; difficult or impossible to cultivate in the garden
    see moresee less
    types:
    Cypripedium acaule, moccasin flower, nerveroot
    once common rose pink woodland orchid of eastern North America
    Cypripedium album, Cypripedium reginae, common lady's-slipper, showy lady slipper, showy lady's-slipper
    pale pink wild orchid of northeastern America having an inflated pouchlike lip
    Cypripedium arietinum, ram's-head, ram's-head lady's slipper
    orchid of northern North America having a brownish-green flower and red-and-white lip suggestive of a ram's head
    Cypripedium calceolus, Cypripedium parviflorum, yellow lady's slipper, yellow lady-slipper
    maroon to purple-brown orchid with yellow lip; Europe, North America and Japan
    California lady's slipper, Cypripedium californicum
    often having many yellow-green orchids with white pouches growing along streams and seeps of southwestern Oregon and northern California
    Cypripedium fasciculatum, clustered lady's slipper
    clusters of several short stems each having 2 broad leaves and 2-4 drooping brownish to greenish flowers with pouches mottled with purple; British Columbia to central California and northern Colorado
    Cypripedium montanum, mountain lady's slipper
    leafy plant having a few stems in a clump with 1 white and dull purple flower in each upper leaf axil; Alaska to northern California and Wyoming
    Cypripedium calceolus pubescens, large yellow lady's slipper
    plant of eastern and central North America having slightly fragrant purple-marked greenish-yellow flowers
    type of:
    orchid, orchidaceous plant
    any of numerous plants of the orchid family usually having flowers of unusual shapes and beautiful colors
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘lady's slipper'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family