Lady's slipper is a plant of the orchid family. Another (folk) name of the plant:

Adam's head, cuckoo boots, Marya's shoe, boots

lady's slipper true, lady's slipper grandiflora and lady's slipper spotted .

The most common type of shoe is the real one.

IN People called it “the Mother of God’s boots”, “Mary’s shoe”, “Cuckoo’s shoe”. It is curious that in England this flower is called “ladies' slippers”

Lady's slipper: types of plants

The plant includes in its genus about 50 species common in North and South America, Europe and Asia, where in natural conditions they grow from the forest-tundra to the tropics.

Lady's slipper flower close up in the photo.

Common types:

Lady's slipper stemless (Cypripedium acaule) - with a ground stem and two folded, oblong or broadly oval, lanceolate, greenish-purple leaves up to 20 cm long and up to 8 cm wide. Peduncle up to 35 cm tall with a large, fragrant flower. Highly decorative, blooms in late spring and early summer.

Ram's head (Cypripedium arietinum) – up to 30 cm tall with thin, weak stems. Leaves are alternate, elliptic or lanceolate, up to 10 cm long and up to 5 cm wide. The flowers are apical, solitary, small. Blooms in late spring.

Californian (Cypripedium californicum) – stem together with flower up to 80 cm tall, strong with 3-4 leaves. The leaves are alternate, oval, acute, up to 10 cm long. The inflorescence is a sparse raceme, consisting of 4-12 flowers, with leaf-shaped, round bracts. Flowers up to 4 cm in diameter on long stalks. Petals and sepals are the same length (up to 1.5 cm), yellowish-green in color. Blooms in late spring.

Snow-white (Cypripedium candidum) - a plant with a short rhizome up to 30 cm tall. In the lower part the stem is covered with several scale-like pharynxes. Leaves (3-4 pieces) lanceolate or elliptic, pointed or acute, up to 12 cm long and up to 4 cm wide. The flowers are small, solitary, apical, up to 2 cm in diameter. The sepals are lanceolate, greenish, with purple spots. Flowering period is late spring-early summer.

Tufted (Cypripedium fasciculatum) – up to 40 cm tall with a woolly pubescent stem, two opposite, broadly oval leaves located in the middle of the stem, up to 10 cm long and up to 6 cm wide. The inflorescence is erect, stable, and has from 1 to 4 greenish flowers. Bracts lanceolate. Petals and sepals are lanceolate, with brown veins, up to 2 cm long.

Lady's slipper (Cypripedium calceolus L)

Perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant orchid family, up to 50 cm tall. The real lady's slipper has a thick, short, creeping rhizome, consisting of two internodes, preserved from each annual growth. The adventitious roots are sinuous and long, up to 30 cm. The stem has brownish cups at the base, with short glandular hairs along the entire length. The leaves are alternate, elliptical, pointed on both sides, slightly hairy along the edges, up to 18 cm long and up to 8 cm wide. The flowers are bisexual, zygomorphic, with large leaf-shaped bracts. The tepals are red-brown in color, the swollen lip is light yellow. Ovary inferior, glandular-pubescent. The fruit is a capsule.

Lady's slipper (Cypripedium macranthon)

It is a plant with a thick, shortened rhizome and thin, sinuous thread-like roots. The stem is up to 45 cm high with brownish shoes at the base, higher with 3-4 glandular-hairy sessile leaves, with stem-enclosing bases, oval and pointed, up to 15 cm long and up to 8 cm wide.

The flowers are solitary with large leaf-shaped bracts. The perianth is violet or lilac-pink with dark veins. The tepals are divergent. The lip is up to 7 cm long, strongly swollen, with a small hole, the edges of which are folded inward, forming an expanded rim. Two stamens, the third is turned white with violet-purple inclusions of staminodes up to 1.5 cm long. The ovary is not twisted. The stigma is corymbose. Lady's slipper grandiflora blooms in June-July.

Lady's slipper spotted (Cypripedium guttatum) or speckled

A small plant with a long creeping rhizome. The stem is from 15 to 30 cm tall. The leaves are elliptical, pointed up to 12 cm long, hairy below along the veins and edge. The bracts are ovate-lanceolate, leaf-shaped.

The upper outer tepal is pointed, elliptical-ovate, up to 3 cm long, white or with purple-pink spots. The lower one, densely fused from two leaves, is greenish, glandular-pubescent, up to 2 cm long. Lateral tepals are bare, white with large purple-pink splashes. The ovary is fusiform, densely and finely glandular-pubescent. The spotted lady's slipper blooms from late May to mid-June.

Growing orchids: lady's slipper

The flower is very rare and very difficult to propagate and grow. The whimsical flower loves shade and is not resistant to winds; it must be covered and protected from pests such as snails or aphids. Lady's slipper prefers to be grown in a complex substrate consisting of sphagnum, bark, charcoal with the addition of chalk or dolomite flour. When kept indoors, you can increase the proportion of sphagnum moss for greater moisture capacity. A coarser substrate is placed at the bottom of the orchid pot, and a moisture-intensive and fine one is placed closer to the surface.

The roots of the plant develop horizontally, so you need a wide pot or bowl.

For normal growth and flowering, the flower must create the appropriate conditions:

• for heat-loving plant species, the air temperature during daylight hours should be in the range from +22 to +32°C, at night from +16 to +18°C, but not lower than +15°C;
• for species and varieties with monochromatic leaves, the temperature during the day is from +16 to +22°C, at night from +8 to +10°C, but not lower than +6°C.
• do not allow even a short-term drop in temperature below +5°C - leads to the death of the plant;
• It is necessary to provide bright lighting (not direct sun rays) flower for 12-14 hours a day.

Lady's slipper: plant care

The flower does not have storage organs; regular, abundant watering is required to maintain the substrate in a constantly moist state. Water should be at room temperature and should not fall at the base of the stem when watering, which can lead to rot.

The lady's slipper requires care with regular (once every 15-20 days) feeding in the summer months with a weak solution of complex mineral fertilizer applied with water during irrigation.

The flower is propagated by dividing the bush during transplantation.

Replanting is carried out as needed (usually once every 1-3 years), but special care must be taken to exclude the possibility of damage to the roots, which can lead to disease or death of the plant.

Paphioledilum or lady's slipper belongs to one of the orchid family. The unusual and sophisticated appearance of this flower cannot fail to attract attention. The inflorescence is like a fancy tiny shoe with a sail-shaped sepal. The variegated leaves shimmer velvety in the sun, emphasizing the sophistication of paphioledilum.

Despite its fragility, the flower has adapted well to home growing and pleases with flowering almost all year round.

Origin

The plant lives in the natural conditions of tropical and subtropical forests in India, America, China, Malaysia, and the Philippines. About 80 biological species have been identified. Paphiopedilum prefers old hollows, wet areas under the trees, stumps, fallen ruins of trunks.

Certain types of orchids grow well in deciduous and coniferous forests Siberia, Volga region and Far East.

In each country the plant has its own name. For example, on the American continent - moccasins, in European countries - a lady's slipper and a lady's shoe, in the vastness of Russia - boots, cuckoo shoes, boots of the Virgin, Adam's head.

Name

Latin name: Cypripedium calceolus

The graceful shape of the lower petal is present in three species of plants with the common name lady's slipper flower, shown in the photo: paphiopedilum, phragmipedium and selenipedum.

Description

All representatives of orchids are classified as herbaceous, beautifully flowering perennials. The color of the leaf blade is dark green or marble gray. The leaves grow up to 30 cm. The rosette forms a single peduncle.

Racemose inflorescences are located on a high peduncle of 40 cm. Individual flowers are rare. In some paphiopedilums, a new bud appears instead of the old one, which significantly prolongs flowering.

The most common are striped and spotted flowers of the lady's slipper, but there is a wide variety of colors: white, yellow-brown and purple, even green, which is confirmed by the photo.

Varieties of paphiopedilums with uniformly colored leaves form flowers by the end of winter, while variegated ones bloom in the autumn-summer period.

The flower is formed by the petals of the corolla from two tiers. The side petals are narrow and slightly twisted and directed to the sides, like wings. The lower petal forms a sac-like lip or shoe of bright colors to attract insects. After pollination, a fruit appears with many dust-like seeds.

They choose trunks for life big trees under the rays of the sun, to which they are attached as a support. Nutrients are obtained from environment and do not harm trees at all.

The thick and short rhizome of the lady's slipper spreads in the upper soil layer. Before the appearance of a young sprout, 3-4 years of secretive development of the bud take place. The root performs a fastening or feeding function. Depending on the purpose they differ in color: dark brown and light hairy with a sinuous structure. For nutrition, they absorb water containing organic impurities from cracks in the bark.

Common varieties of indoor paphiopedilum

Home care – we reproduce natural conditions

Temperature and lighting

Lady's slipper prefers warm conditions. It requires seasonal support. temperature regime. IN winter period growing temperature is 18-24°, in the warm summer months 23-27°.

The plant is accustomed to daily temperature changes. The daytime temperature should differ from the nighttime temperature by 5 degrees. At night in summer the room is ventilated.

You need to place the plant on a sunny windowsill. On a hot afternoon, the paphioledilum is shaded. In winter, the plant must be illuminated up to 12 hours of daylight. During the summer months, lady's slipper will do well in the garden outdoors.

Watering and fertilizing

The watering regime does not differ throughout the year. Before watering, the water is left to sit for a day or used filtered and heated to 30°. Pour into the pot from a thin spout to prevent it from getting on the leaves. In case of accidental contact, remove water with a napkin. Excess moisture can cause rot. Therefore, immersion irrigation is more often used. The pot with the plant is placed in a container of water. The nutrient mixture in which the plant is planted, made from peat with small parts of tree bark, takes 15-20 minutes to soak. If coarser bark fragments are used, they will be saturated in 40-60 minutes.

After watering, the remaining water is removed from the pan. It is recommended to carry out the next watering after the soil has dried. In winter, when flowering has ended, you should water and spray less.

The plant's homeland is humid forest. It is important to ensure air humidity near the paphioledilum. Regular spraying of water or lining the bottom of the tray with expanded clay and moss, which retain moisture, is suitable.

For feeding, it is better to purchase ready-made fertilizer for orchids. The frequency of application is once a month. During the flowering period, the rate is doubled.

Application organic fertilizers promotes the decomposition of the substrate, so it is rarely used.

Transplanting a plant

The timing of replanting paphioledilum is determined by the condition of the plant and soil. Depressed appearance, signs of rot and mold with a corresponding smell. Compaction of the substrate indicates the need to replant the plant.

It is considered normal to replant the plant every 2 years. The procedure is planned for the end of flowering. This way the plant will take root better.

The full development and flowering of the lady’s slipper depends on proper preparation nutrient mixture. When preparing it yourself, mix 0.5 kg of crushed bark coniferous trees, charcoal and peat 100 g each, add 50 g of shell powder and perlite.

If it is not possible to select all the components, then purchase a ready-made soil mixture for orchids.

Choose a pot for planting that is wide at the top, tapering at the base, and of small height. This shape of the container will not damage the roots when next transplant. The bottom of the container is covered with drainage, then the substrate is laid out. At the time of transplantation, the plant should be dry; watering should be stopped several days before. When replanting, inspect the roots of the plant and remove damaged areas with a sharp blade. Sections are treated with powder activated carbon. The first watering is carried out after 3 days.

How does it reproduce

Paphiopedilum can be propagated by dividing the bush. Rosettes with at least two formed leaves and the presence of roots must be planted. In this case, the orchid takes root more easily and flowering will begin faster.

At good care lady's slipper will delight long flowering and will become a decoration of the apartment.

Watch also the video

Wild orchids, which came to us from tropical Asian forests, are doubly valued: for their rarity and sensuality, for their grace of form and capricious character. The Lady's slipper orchid Paphiopedilum is especially popular among gardeners, although it is inferior in price to its expensive American relative, Phragmipedium.

TO common family Lady's slippers include 5 genera from the Orchidaceae family, in addition to the two named also cypripedium, selenipedium and monotypic mexipedium. They all have same shape a flower with a characteristic swollen lip, reminiscent of a woman's shoe.

IN indoor floriculture The paphiopedilum orchid, despite its capriciousness in care, is found much more often than other slippers. It has been known in culture for more than one and a half hundred years.

Origin and name

Natural species grow in the tropical, monsoon and subtropical climate of Southeast Asia in China, India, Nepal and Oceania. The name Paphiopedilum literally translates as “slipper from Paphos”, hometown Venus.

A beautiful legend has been preserved about the plant - the beautiful goddess was in such a hurry to retire in the forest with her beloved Adonis that she lost her golden slipper. A commoner hunter discovered the loss, bent down to pick it up, and it suddenly became a flower, graceful and unusually beautiful. Appearance The lady's slipper truly fascinates with its grace and tenderness.

Lady's slipper description, or what paphiopedilum looks like

Roots healthy plant brownish and covered with small villi, the tips are white during the period of active development. A shortened stem grows from the rhizome, on which a rosette of strap-shaped or broad-linear leaves, rich green, in some species with a marble pattern, is formed as a symmetrical double-sided fan.

Each rosette blooms only once, forming a peduncle from 4 to 60 cm long with one shoe, with the exception of the Victoria-regina species, which has up to 30 of them, but opening alternately. The flowers of the lady's slipper in most species are large, bright, in red-yellow-greenish shades, especially the lip, which attracts pollinating insects with its striking color and sweetish nectar on the inner walls.

Growing lady's slipper orchid

Among Paphiopedilums, epiphytic species are rare. In nature, representatives of the genus grow, as a rule, in the litter of tropical forests or as lithophytes - in rock crevices on humus carried by the wind and washed up by sediments. Therefore, when kept indoors, the plant needs to create conditions that are as close as possible to its natural habitat.

To grow lady's slipper, select an opaque plastic or ceramic one that is proportional to the root system. Transparent containers are also used, but only to monitor the condition of the roots and lower layers.

The plant is replanted annually if it is young, or every 2–3 years when one of the reasons is present:

• 8–10 or more rosettes have formed in the pot;
• grew up and got stronger new escape, and a desire arose to carry out division;
• after flowering is completed;
• the degree of salinity and decomposition of the substrate affects general condition plants;
• in almost any of the above reasons - in the spring.

Some orchid growers partially replace the pot after every 6-8 months.

Substrate composition

The substrates for paphiopedilums are based on pine bark and peat soil for seedlings in a ratio of 3:1. As additional ingredients, gardeners use small quantities of charcoal, coarse river sand, perlite or expanded clay, coconut flakes instead of bark, sphagnum moss to retain moisture. The pH of the substrate for most paphiopedilums is preferably neutral or slightly acidic, with the exception of calceophiles, which are accustomed to growing in nature on limestone rocks.

Caring for a lady's slipper orchid

The Paphiopedilum orchid, caring for which at home requires the daily presence of a grower and constant monitoring of its condition, is considered a rather whimsical and capricious flower.

Placement in the house, lighting and temperature conditions: what is important to remember

A suitable location for paphiopedilum is the window sills of north-eastern, north-western, eastern and western windows, although individual species are also successfully developing in the northern exposure. The room where the plant is kept is often ventilated, and in the summer it is moved to the garden.

Lady's slipper prefers flower diffuse light, but at the same time withstands slight shading. The plant cannot be called shade-loving.

Flower growers have different opinions regarding the temperature preferences of paphiopedilum, but many still argue that, conventionally, lady’s slippers are divided into those that require moderate maintenance at temperatures of 18–22 degrees and heat-loving ones, for which a comfortable temperature regime is 25–30 degrees and above. General recommendations– 18–25 degrees in summer and permissible short-term decreases in the off-season of no lower than 10 degrees and in hot weather up to 33. A pronounced resting period is not observed in paphiopedilums.

Watering and ambient humidity

During the active growing season, the lady's slipper plant is watered regularly and abundantly, however, in mandatory arranging short-term drying of the substrate. The flower is very afraid of stagnation of water and is easily attacked by fungi, so the key to caring for it is correct balanced watering, which instantly changes with any deviations in the microclimate of the room.

Droplets of moisture that fall inside the outlet during watering - the place most vulnerable to rot - are immediately blotted off with a dry paper napkin. The same procedure is carefully carried out after a warm shower.

The ambient humidity for the shoe is preferably in the range from 60 to 80%. They increase it in a way convenient for gardeners - with special devices or by arranging an indoor fountain, lay sphagnum moss on top of the substrate without touching the root collar, and spray it twice a day with a spray bottle, and also place flower containers on a tray with wet pebbles or expanded clay.

Feeding

Lady's slipper reacts painfully to excess, so feed it no more than 2 times a month, alternating organic and mineral fertilizers for orchids, but diluted in half the dose. Fertilizing is carried out during the growing season; after flowering, the plant rests and nutrients practically no need.

How to care for a lady's slipper during flowering

The formation of buds in most indoor lady's slippers occurs in late autumn or early winter. With proper care and maintenance, the plant grows a new flowering rosette every year. A sign of readiness for flowering is the appearance of a so-called signal stop leaf in the center of the rosette, small and tight, from the flaps of which the top of the peduncle with a bud will soon appear.

However, this does not always mean that paphiopedilum will bloom. If in care previous year there were no mistakes, the shoe will delight the orchid grower with a miracle flower, otherwise the stop list will remain empty, but there is no need to be completely upset - there is a high probability of a new rosette forming.

Attention! During the formation of a bud, it is not recommended to disturb the plant - move it to another place, rotate the pot around its axis. You shouldn’t change anything in your care at all!

At the end of flowering, the shoe needs rest. During this time, the ambient temperature drops to 15–20 degrees, watering is reduced and almost no fertilizing is done. Only after new growth has “pecked” on the old rosette is the previous care resumed.

Reproduction of Paphiopedilum at home

In indoor culture, slippers are propagated by dividing the bush. The seed method is used in greenhouse conditions, observing the requirements of absolute sterility. However, Paphiopedilum varieties can only be propagated by vegetative propagation.

The bushes are divided during transplantation if there are more than 8–10 rosettes in the pot. The rhizome is dissected in such a way that at least 3 rosettes remain on each section.

You often come across advertisements for the sale of shoes with 1 or 2 sockets. Orchid growers with 20 years of experience claim that such divisions have no more than a 40% chance of survival, and only in very rare cases with the most ideal care. The probability of plant flowering in the current and next year zero. At best, if the shoe survives, new socket it will grow no earlier than 2–3 years, until it survives the stress of dividing the rhizome.

Buying a seedling and growing it to an adult specimen is sometimes easier than coming out of a shoe after an unsuccessful division of the rhizome. However, paphiopedilum grown from seeds will bloom in 5 or 6 years.

Pests and diseases of slippers

The Paphiopedilum orchid has extremely sensitive leaves and root systems. Dying of leaf blades is often observed. There are several reasons depending on the symptoms of this process:

• the leaf first turns yellow, then turns brown - a natural phenomenon;
• the top of the leaf becomes dark brown, almost black, then the whole brown edge creeps along the edge of the leaf plate, tapering towards the central vein - the plant is overfed or infected with the fungus Glomerella cingulata,.

The falling of flowers that have not fully blossomed causes mold botrytis. Light brown spots initially appear on the petals and lip. The reason is a decrease in the night temperature in the room with high humidity air.

As a result of waterlogging, the root system of slippers is affected by fusarium, rhizoctonia, late blight, and pythium.

Among the most common mites on lady's slippers are flat beetles, or false spider mites, mealybugs and scale insects.

Paphiopedilum species

There are up to 80 species in the genus Paphiopedilum, but their number is constantly changing. The number of natural and artificial hybrids is also changeable; more than a thousand of them have been created. The most famous species in indoor and greenhouse floriculture are:

The pretty one, or bellatulum, is native to Burma. The flowers are snow-white with crimson specks, about 8–10 cm in circumference, and appear in April. Leaves are spotted.

Paphiopedilum Bellatulum (Pretty)

Apricot is a very late discovered species, in 1982, with spectacular solar yellow flowers with an orange throat and spotted foliage.

Paphiopedilum armeniacum (Apricot)

Adorable, or beautiful - originally from the Himalayas. It blooms at the end of winter with large single flowers about 15 cm in diameter. The lip is orange with greenish veins, the petals are in the same colors, dotted with distinct longitudinal stripes.

Paphiopedilum venustum (Lovely)

Snow-white - has a pleasant aroma. Leaves in marble patterns. The flowers are pure white, shining, no more than 8 cm in circumference, bloom in summer. It is extremely gentle, heat-loving and requires much less fertilizer than other species.

Paphiopedilum niveum (Snow White)

Lawrence is home to the island of Borneo. Luxurious appearance with a gorgeous flower 9–13 cm in circumference. The sail is white with longitudinal purple veins, the lip is cherry red. Blooms in spring.

Paphiopedilum lawrenceanum (Lawrence)

Rough-haired - Indian species, blooms for a long time from autumn to early or mid-spring. The upper petal is burgundy-brown, the edge is greenish-white, the side petals are ocher-chocolate in color, the lip is pale brown with reddish stains.

Paphiopedilum hirsutissimum (Rough-haired)

Single-color, or concolor, is common in southwestern China, southeastern Thailand, Burma, Cambodia and Laos. The flower is up to 5.5–7 cm in diameter, cream or yellowish, less often white or ecru, strewn with small purple peas.

Paphiopedilum concolor (Monocolor)

Wonderful - Himalayan species, blooms from September to February with greenish fragrant flowers.

paphiopedilum insigne (Wonderful)

Bearded - the parent of the first artificial hybrid, began to be grown in culture earlier than others natural species. The foliage has an expressive marble pattern, the flowers are colored red-purple tones: sail in burgundy stripes on a white background, lip and side petals of a dark scarlet hue. Blooms in spring.

Paphiopedilum barbatum (Bearded)

Appletona is a large spring-blooming orchid with spotted leaves and a greenish-purple flower up to 10 cm in circumference, native to Southeast Asia.

Paphiopedilum appletonianum (Appleton's)

Conclusion

Lady's slippers are rare plants that disappear in natural conditions. In every state where they grow in wildlife, paphiopedilums are protected by the Red Book of a country or a specific region.

Wonderful orchids, which have traveled half the world to settle in our home, fall into the caring hands of a florist who are able to care for, cherish and protect this amazing creation of nature, endowing the world with its charm and uniqueness.

They will be able to find true happiness. But nowadays it is not necessary to go to the forest for this, because gentle Venus hair (a type of fern) can be successfully grown at home. Although it will not give your household lush flowers, its greenery will fill your living space with freshness and lift your spirits. Sometimes branches of such a fern are used to create exclusive bouquets for the bride. And some gardeners plant the plant in their garden plot.

The ancient ancestors of the hair of Venus flourished wildly in the territory South America. Today, the miracle flower is familiar almost all over the planet. He is known in Canada and Mexico, in the USA and Russia, in Crimea and the Caucasus. In its natural environment, fern is found next to mountain streams, waterfalls, and often in gorges between rocks. Interestingly, another name for the plant is adiantum, which means to wet. When water hits the lacy leaf plates, it gracefully flows off its surface, only leaving a light trace. Such a cute plant deserves careful attention and proper care.

External description of the “fairytale” plant

The lady's hair flower is a type of fern. Its long graceful shoots are covered with miniature patterned leaves with a hydrophobic layer. Thanks to this, water does not linger on them, but flows freely to the ground. Some varieties are distinguished by long (about 50 cm) leaves of light green color and elongated shape.

The plant grows up to 30 cm in height. It has a scaly creeping rhizome about 70 cm in length. It contains a huge number of rhizoids, with which the maidenhair maidenhair is attached to the soil surface. The stem on which the leaves are held has a black tint and an elastic structure. Light green segments extend from it in the form of miniature fans 1 cm long.

On the underside of the leaf blade there are pockets where the sori are hidden. Being in such a cozy storage, they are protected from moisture, so they do not germinate ahead of time. They are visible through the thin green texture of the frond segment in the form of dark dots. The lady's hair fern produces spores almost all summer, starting at the end of May, and so on until autumn.
The plant takes root well in greenhouses and at home.

Venus hair is often propagated by dividing the rhizome into parts. In the natural environment, reproduction is possible through spores.

Watering is of great importance for the life of every plant:

• timely;
• with an individual approach;
• regular;
• moderate.

This is especially true for the delicate fern – adiantum. The liquid should be at room temperature. Best option – rainwater. If the house is cold, the plant should be watered moderately to protect the roots from rot.
In winter, it is advisable to place Venus hair away from radiators or pipes of the heating system.

The flower does not like excessive moisture, as the leaves suffer from this. Lack of moisture leads to premature death of the rhizome. Therefore, you should regularly monitor the fern to avoid extremes.

It is important when caring at home to place Venus hair in a place where there is the least amount of sunlight. The plant prefers shady places, since the lacy leaves suffer from direct rays.
At first they lose their excellent color, and over time they dry out. You can place a pot with a plant in the house on the northern or eastern windows, where it will feel especially comfortable.

Caring for the Venus hair flower at home involves creating a high level of humidity in the house or apartment where it grows. Otherwise, the small openwork leaves will hurt and fall off. Therefore, it is advisable to regularly spray the plant with water from a spray bottle. Another option for creating optimal humidity for adiantum is to place the pot with the plant in a container with moistened peat.

To properly care for Venus hair at home, it is important to keep the house clean. The plant loves clean air, because its distant ancestors grew in forests or near river streams.
Therefore, it is necessary to regularly carry out wet cleaning in the room where the fern is located.

Heavy smokers should not pollute the air with smoke near the lush greenery of home ferns.

In addition, Venus hair does not like extreme heat. Optimal temperature for him – no higher than 22 degrees. For such a flower it is worth trying and creating for it comfortable conditions. The reward for your efforts will be the charming masterpiece shown in the photo - the Venus hair flower.

It is equally important to choose a convenient container for the plant, because it has a powerful root that needs space. The perfect solution- a wide, spacious pot.
In it root system It will develop well, and the flower will delight the household with its greenery for a long time.

In order for the adiantum to successfully develop at home, it is important to plant it in a suitable mixture. To do this, take 1 part of the leaf mixture, 2 parts of peat and mix thoroughly.
It would not be amiss to add sand, charcoal (crushed) and charcoal containing calcium to the substrate.

In the root area, the soil should be loose and well permeable to liquid.

Care involves regular feeding and pruning of the plant in summer and spring. You can do it 2 times a month. When dying leaves appear on fern bushes, they should be trimmed. It is better to remove sluggish, dry or pale specimens in time to give the adiantum a second life. The main thing is to regularly water and spray the plant after pruning.

I would like to say a few words about possible pests of adiantum. If the room where the flower grows is too dry, cobwebs appear on the shoots. As a result, the leaves wither, then turn yellow and die. Get rid of spider mite a weak shower will help with warm water. After this procedure, it is important to control the humidity level in the house so that the flower does not dry out.

Sometimes it starts on the back of the leaves. Because of this, they turn yellow, curl and die. Special chemicals will help combat the pest, after which the plant should be “bathed” under warm shower. And then the house will be filled lush greenery charming fern - Venus hair.

Planting a Venus hair - video

-This is one of the varieties of orchids.

There is a legend that talks about Venus and Adonis. When Venus descended to Adonis on Earth for a walk in the summer forest, a strong thunderstorm began. Taking shelter from the thunderstorm, they hid under the trees, and Venus took off her wet shoes and laid them on the ground. At this time, a wanderer passed by and noticed one of the shoes. Deciding to take it for himself, he reached out to it, and... the golden shoe turned into a beautiful flower.

A beautiful legend, isn't it? In any case, it is more beautiful than the scientific name of this orchid - cypripedium. The varieties of the lady's slipper plant and its description will be discussed in this article.

Did you know? People simply call the plant the lady's slipper orchid.

Slipper (Cypripedium calceolus)

This is a perennial rhizomatous flower. The real lady's slipper can grow up to 40 centimeters. The rhizome is thick, short, lies horizontally. Its flowers are large and have a faint aroma.

The sepals and petals are red-brown, the lip is bright yellow and yellowish-green. You can find other varieties of colors: red, yellow, green, white, brown with a white lip.

Cypripedium calceolus has a long period of mycotrophic development. Such flowers usually bloom in late spring, early summer, and begin to bear fruit in August. It can be propagated by seeds and branching rhizomes. Used in floristry, this is one of the reasons for the decline in plant numbers.

Large-flowered lady's slipper (Cypripedium macranthon)

Another rare species orchids - Cypripedium macranthon. It is a herbaceous perennial that grows up to 45 centimeters in height. The leaves of the flower are oval, slightly pointed at the end, and have small hairs.

There are many varieties found in nature color range, you can find pink, violet, purple with cherry specks. The flower can be distinguished by its characteristically swollen lip, which is often covered with dots and spots and has a variegated color. After the flower has bloomed, an ovary forms with a “box” in which the fruits are stored.

This type of lady's slipper not only pleases the eye with its beauty, but can also be used in medicine. Found in the plant useful substances, such as oxalic acid, ascorbic acid.

The shoe is prescribed for many diseases: childhood fear, insomnia, headaches, epilepsy, problems with the genitourinary system, mental illness.

Important! The sedative and hypotensive effect of the flower on the human body has been scientifically proven.

Spotted slipper (Cypripedium guttatum)

Spotted slipper or drip slipper, - another representative of the herbaceous perennial plant from the Orchidaceae family. Like its other brethren, it has a thin, cord-like, creeping rhizome. The stem reaches 30 centimeters in height, glandular-hairy in appearance.

Sessile leaves reach 10 centimeters in length and 5 cm in width - broadly elliptical with a smooth edge, sometimes pubescent below. It is a single flower with white spots of purple color and the upper leaflet is white. The lady's slipper blooms from May to June.

Important! The flower is considered very toxic.

Stemless slipper (Cypripedium acaule)

This interesting type of orchid with a wonderful fragrant aroma was discovered in 1789 in America. This type of shoe is quite difficult to grow, but if you try to create it necessary conditions, then he will feel great.

The flower has a short rhizome with an aboveground stem. Two ground leaves are 20 centimeters long and 8 cm wide. The leaves are thick, folded, broadly oval or oblong. Sometimes there is a peduncle with a small leaf.

Almost identical petals and sepals are greenish-purple. The lip is no more than 5 centimeters. Due to the longitudinal fold, it seems that it is forked. Flowers with a pink lip are most often found, but sometimes you can also find them with a white lip. There are long light hairs at the base of the lip.

California slipper (Cypripedium californicum)

One of the most striking and exotic representatives of the species - California slipper. It is an endemic species found exclusively in Oregon or the California mountains. Loves places with high humidity and is surprisingly resistant to external irritants.

This is an extraordinary flower with a miniature lip of a delicate creamy color and yellow flowers on the sides. This is a tall flower, it can grow up to 90 centimeters. There can be up to 12 flowers on the stem at the same time, but, unfortunately, they do not emit any fragrance.

Did you know? Endemic - a plant or animal that lives exclusively in one area.

Bunch slipper (Cypripedium fasciculatum)

This species is often found in the western forests of America. Relatively not tall, up to 40 centimeters in height. The flower has two opposite leaves located in the middle of the woolly stem.

Leaves are up to 10 centimeters long and up to 7 cm wide. A straight and stable inflorescence can have up to 4 greenish flowers. The lip is only 1 cm long and greenish-yellow in color with purple veins.

Ram's slipper (Cypripedium arietinum)

The sheep's slipper has taken a fancy to the northeastern forests of America. The flower loves dampness and moderate heat. Grows up to 30 centimeters in height. It has weak and thin leaves and stems.

There are 2-4 lanceolate or elliptical leaves up to 10 centimeters in length and 8 cm in width. The flowers are small, solitary, apical. Lanceolate and joint sepals up to 2 centimeters in length.

Linear petals the same length as the flowers. The whole lip is shorter than the petals. Towards the end it narrows and becomes an appendage. There are red and white lips with purple veins. Woolly hairs are observed near the hole. Blooms in early summer.

White slipper (Cypripedium candidum)

The flower's habitat is wet meadows and marshy places in the eastern United States. Low plants up to 30 centimeters in height with a short rhizome. In the lower part the stem is covered with scale-like sheaths.

Up to 4 lanceolate, pointed or acute leaves up to 12 centimeters long and 4 cm wide. The snow-white lady's slipper has small two-centimeter single flowers and lanceolate sepals. They are the same, slightly longer than the lip.

The color of the sepals is green with purple spots. Slightly curled petals are longer than the sepals. White lip with purple streaks inside measuring about 2 centimeters. Blooms towards the end of spring.

Queen's slipper (Cypripedium reginae)

A tall herbaceous plant, reaching 60 centimeters in height, with a very short rhizome. The strong, erect stems are completely woolly and pubescent. Leaves up to 25 centimeters long and 10 cm wide oval shape, sharp, light green in color.

The flowers grow up to 8 centimeters, most often white or pinkish. The lip is swollen, white with purple stripes. Blooms in mid-summer. It can easily tolerate frosts down to -37 degrees without loss of flowering properties.

Fluffy slipper (Cypripedium pubescens)

Fluffy shoe can be found in damp forests and marshy areas. It can reach 50 centimeters in height. There are up to 4 alternate leaves on the stem.