Lady's slipper orchid

The lady's slipper orchid is one of 66 species of orchids found growing wild in Switzerland. Growing to a height of 20 to 60 cm, it flowers between May and June in light undergrowth. Its name comes from the shape of its labellum, which resembles a clog. This petal, which differs in shape and colour from the other two, is a distinctive feature of orchids that helps them attract pollinating insects.

Due to their rarity and vulnerability, orchids are strictly protected in Switzerland. Picking and trampling are prohibited in order to preserve them. The lady's slipper orchid was already a victim of its own success in the 18th century, as the naturalist artist Rosalie de Constant noted in her painted herbarium that ‘its beauty and uniqueness made it sought after by botanists, to the point of destroying it; the one seen here is the only one in this collection that was not painted from life’. Unfortunately, this lack of consideration persists today, and following repeated thefts from the Cantonal Botanical Garden, it was decided to stop cultivating it.