Cypripedium elegans
Cypripedium elegans
Safety & Hazards
We have seen no reports for Eurasian members of the genus, but there are reports that the glandular hairs on the leaves and stems of some N. American species can cause a rash, similar to poison ivy rash[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ]. We have no specific information for this species, but it has been stated that the roots of at least one member of the genus may cause psychedelic reactions, and large doses may result in giddiness, restlessness, headache, mental excitement and visual hallucinations[ 2170 Title Herbal Medicines. Third Edition Publication Author Barnes J., Anderson L.A. & Phillipson J.D. Publisher Pharmaceutical Press; London Year 2007 ISBN 978 0 85369 623 0 Description Providing mongraphs on 152 medicinal plants with lots of references to allow further research. A very good book, it can be downloaded from the Internet ].
Botanical Description
Cypripedium elegans is a herbeceous perennial plant plant spreading slowly by means of slender creeping rhizomes to form a clump. It produces 2 leaves on each erect flowering stem, growing around 10 - 15cm tall[ 1866 Title Medicinal Orchids of Asia Publication Author Eng Soon Teoh Website https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24274-3 Publisher Springer International Publishing Switzerland Year 2016 ISBN 978-3-319-24272-9 Description ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for use as a medicine. It is grown as an ornamental. Cypripedium elegans is known only from a few scattered populations, where it is mostly in small colonies. The population trend overall is decreasing, and the species is under numerous threats especially from overgrazing, collection for medicine and horticulture, habitat loss and disturbance of its restricted range due to trampling, deforestation, clear-cutting, logging practices and climate change. These are causing a continuing decline of the species in all of its five known locations, and the destruction of some subpopulations. The plant is classified as 'Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2014)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].