Cypripedium candidum
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 Small White Lady's-Slipper (Cypripedium candidum)
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| Cypripedium candidum Muhl. ex Willd. |
Cypripedium candidum, also known as Small White Lady's Slipper or White Lady's Slipper, is a rare orchid of the Cypripedium genus. It is found in wet prairies and fens, in rich, highly calcareous soils. Cypripedium candidum grows to a height of 10 to 40 cm, and blooms from May to June.
Cypripedium candidum is found from Western New York, across southern Ontario to North Dakota, and south to New Jersey and Missouri. There are isolated populations of Cypripedium candidumin Connecticut, Manitoba, and (formerly) Saskatchewan.
Cypripedium candidum is considered rare across Canada, endangered in Ontario, and protected under the Ontario Endangered Species Act. It is believed to be extirpated from Saskatchewan. It is threatened in the United States, extirpated from Pennsylvania, endangered in South Dakota and Wisconsin, threatened in Illinois, Kentucky, and Michigan, and rare in Missouri and North Dakota.
Cypripedium candidum is uncommon due to the fact that it has a low seed set caused by often unpollinated flowers, as well as that its habitat of wet praries and fens have been greatly decreased through draining for agricultural purposes. In Ontario, Cypripedium candidum has never been common due to limited occurrences of fens in Cypripedium candidum's Southern-Ontario range. Like many wild orchids, this species has been further endangered by collecting for generally futile attempts at cultivation. It is now known from only two sites in the province of Ontario.
