Cypripedium acaule. About halfway up the trail on Burnt Meadow mountian.

The Lady's Slipper is one of the few flowers which has been named for the shape of its blossom. Cypripedium, the scientific name for this flower, actually means venus slipper in Greek. The common name changes it to Lady's Slipper and with an great deal of imagination one can see how this is applicable. This plant is a species of the orchid family. It requires an acidic soil which is why most are seen in the humus rich areas of oak or pine forest. Much like the family it comes from, which has an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 members, Lady's Slipper can survive in places from the tropics to the arctic tundra, but the greatest number of these flowers that are not grown in greenhouses exist in the warmer climates. Lady's Slipper is undoubtedly the best known of the twenty one genera of native orchids which grow in the eastern half of North America. This flower is so revered that in some states where it is rare it is protected by law from anyone who would choose to pick it.