Postage stamp. Great Britain. Queen Elizabeth II. Decline in sites. Endangered species. Lady's slipper orchid, Cypripedium calceolus. 26p.
Cypripedium calceolus is a lady's-slipper orchid, and the type species of the genus Cypripedium. It is native to Europe and Asia. This is the largest orchid species in Europe, growing to 60 cm tall with flowers as wide as 9 cm. Before it flowers, it is distinguished from other orchids by the large size and width of its ovate leaves (as big as 18 cm long, 9 cm wide) which like other orchids exhibit parallel venation. Each shoot has up to four leaves and a small number (1-2) of flowers, which have long often twisted petals varying from red-brown to black (rarely green) and a slipper-shaped yellow labellum, within which red dots are visible. It is a long-lived perennial] and spreads using horizontal stems (rhizomes).
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Photo credit: © Stan Pritchard / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: 26p, britain, calceolus, commemorative, cypripedium, elizabeth, endangered, flower, great, ii, ladys, mail, orchid, postage, queen, royal, slipper, species, stamp
