Calypso bulbosa

Family Orchidaceae. Calypso is a monotypic genus; its only species grows in the cold and temperate zones of Eurasia and North America. It is distributed in shady, mossy coniferous forests, often among fallen trees, sometimes in boggy places, frequently on calcareous soils. Very rare, but locally can be abundant. Occurs in Scandinavia, Mongolia, Japan, China, and North America.

A small plant 8 - 20 cm high, with a short rhizome, cord-like adventitious roots and an above-ground tuber-like structure. The stem is sheathed to the middle by a membranous sheath. The single leaf is evergreen, ovate, dark green above, paler beneath, up to 4 cm long, with a petiole up to 7 cm long; in winter the leaf is wrinkled and rather stiff. The flower is pleasantly and delicately scented, 1 (rarely 2), 2-3 cm long, with a linear-lanceolate bract. The perianth segments are spreading, dark pink, acute, up to 1.5 cm long. The lip up to 2 cm long, slipper-shaped, whitish or yellowish, speckled with reddish-brown stripes or spots; the petaloid limb of the lip is pinkish with yellow hairs at the base. Flowers in May-June. Several subspecies and natural forms are known with a variety of flower color variants.

Short-lived in cultivation.

Location: grown in semi-shaded and sufficiently moist sites, in the shade of coniferous trees, on peaty, light, nutrient-rich loose soils with the mandatory addition of conifer litter and limestone rubble.

Pests and diseases: damaged by slugs. To protect the plant, you can arrange a water-filled trench at some distance around it, for example by burying a car tire cut in half.

Propagation: by seeds and daughter bulbs.

An orchid for professional growers who have the patience to raise it from seeds and select the most resistant clones.