Cypripedium irapeanum

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Cypripedium irapeanum, known as Irapeao's cypripedium or pelican orchid, is a tall orchid native to Mexico and Central America, ranging from Sinaloa and Durango in central Mexico south to Guatemala and Honduras.

Where it grows
It lives in mixed pine–oak forests on well-drained limestone slopes and in soils that are volcanic or clay-rich and full of metals. It can occur in large groups, even hundreds of plants.

What it looks like
The plant stands about 1 to 1.5 meters tall and has a hairy stem with clasping, elliptic to lance-shaped leaves along the stem. The showy yellow flowers are about 12 cm wide and appear in a sequence of 1 to 8 blooms along a single stem.

Flower details
The lip of the flower is balloon-shaped with a fine net pattern and an open bowl with a rolled edge. Toward the back of the bowl there are purple-brown spots.

When it blooms and how it spreads
Bloom time is from early June to late July. The plant spreads by rhizomes and also produces many tiny seeds that are released when a capsule erupts from the ovary.

Care and cautions
Handling these orchids can cause skin irritation in some people. They are very difficult to cultivate because they rely on a specific symbiotic fungus in the soil to obtain nutrients.