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Cypripedium calceolus parviflorum

Common name:	Nerve Root	Family:	Orchidaceae
Author:	(Salisb.)Fernald.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:	Cypripedium parviflorum (Salisb.)
Known Hazards:	Contact with the fresh plant can cause dermatitis in sensitive people[1, 21].
Range:	North-eastern N. America.
Habitat:	Swamps and bogs.
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	C. calceolus ssp. parviflorum[B,P] C. calceolus var. parviflorum[B,P] C. calceolus, var. parviflorum[Sc]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	American Valerian [H], Lady's Slipper, Small Yellow [S], Lesser Yellow Lady's Slipper [P], Lesser Yellow Lady's-slipper [B], Salis [H], Yellow Lady's Slipper [S],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	calceolus = small shoe florum = flowered parviflorum = small flowered
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Orchidales. Orchid family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.6m by 0.25m . It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower from May to August. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antispasmodic Diaphoretic Hypnotic Nervine Sedative Tonic.

Nerve root has a high reputation for its effect on the nervous system[238]. The root is a pungent bitter-sweet herb with an unpleasant odour, it is antispasmodic, diaphoretic, hypnotic, nervine, sedative, tonic[21, 46, 165, 192, 222, 238]. It is taken internally in the treatment of anxiety, nervous tension, insomnia, depression and tension headaches[238]. The active ingredients are not water soluble and so the root is best taken in the form of a tincture[222]. The plant is said to be the equivalent of Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) in its effect as a nervine and sedative, though it is less powerful[1, 4].
The roots are harvested in the autumn and are dried for later use[238]. In the interests of conservation, it is best not to use this herb unless you can be certain it was obtained from a cultivated source - see the notes above under cultivation details[K].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Succeeds in shade or full sun so long as there is adequate moisture[42]. Grows well in a woodland garden[230]. Plants are best grown on a north or north-west aspect in order to slow down early growth[1]. Requires a humus rich soil with plenty of moisture in the growing season[42], it also succeeds in chalky soils[200]. Must not be planted too deeply[42].
A very ornamental plant[1] it is long-lived when once established, though it is very difficult to establish a plant[233]. The flowers have a soft, rose-like perfume[245]. Plants are growing very well at the Savill Gardens in Windsor[233].
This plant is becoming very rare in the wild due to overcollecting for medicinal usage[238]. Reports that the plant is cultivated for its medicinal uses are largely spurious and, unless you can be certain that the root has come from a cultivated source, it is best not to use this plant medicinally but to use suitable substitutes such as Scutellaria laterifolia and Lavendula angustifolia[238].
Orchids are, in general, shallow-rooting plants of well-drained low-fertility soils. Their symbiotic relationship with a fungus in the soil allows them to obtain sufficient nutrients and be able to compete successfully with other plants. They are very sensitive to the addition of fertilizers or fungicides since these can harm the symbiotic fungus and thus kill the orchid[230].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow, preferably as soon as it is ripe, in the greenhouse and do not allow the compost to dry out. The seed of this species is extremely simple, it has a minute embryo surrounded by a single layer of protective cells. It contains very little food reserves and depends upon a symbiotic relationship with a species of soil-dwelling fungus. The fungal hyphae invade the seed and enter the cells of the embryo. The orchid soon begins to digest the fungal tissue and this acts as a food supply for the plant until it is able to obtain nutrients from decaying material in the soil[200]. It is best to use some of the soil that is growing around established plants in order to introduce the fungus, or to sow the seed around a plant of the same species and allow the seedlings to grow on until they are large enough to move.
Division with care in early spring, the plants resent disturbance[200]. Remove part of the original rootball with the soil intact[200].
Division is best carried out towards the end of the growing season, since food reserves are fairly evenly distributed through the rhizome[230]. Small divisions of a lead and two buds, or divisions from the back (older) part of the rhizome without any developed buds, establish quickly using this method[230]. Replant immediately in situ[230].

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers have a soft, rose-like perfume.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Cypripedium calceolus, var. parviflorum (a possible synonym).

[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine

References for Cypripedium parviflorum (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[42] Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938
Rather dated now, but an immense work on bulbs for temperate zones and how to grow them. Three large volumes.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.

[192] Emboden. W. Narcotic Plants Studio Vista 1979 ISBN 0-289-70864-8
A lot of details about the history, chemistry and use of narcotic plants, including hallucinogens, stimulants, inebriants and hypnotics.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[230] Cribb. P. & Bailes. C. Hardy Orchids. Orchids for the Garden and Frost-free Greenhouse. Christopher Helm. London. 1989 ISBN 0 7470 0416 1
An excellent book looking at the orchids that can be grown outdoors in temperate climates and giving lots of information on how to grow them. Very lttle information on their uses.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

Readers Comments

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