One of my catlogs is offering seed.
Are these guys endangered? Are they as difficult to grow as the native Cypripedium Lady’s Slippers?
Judging from the USDA entry for them, they’re listed as threatened or endangered in at least six states.
Thanks for the USDA link. You have done your part in fighting ignorance today.
Now I’m left with the question of whether I can help preserve them by trying to grow from seed.
carnivorousplant,
I know a good deal about native plant propagation; unfortunately, haven’t got around to orchids yet. In a quick trip around the web,Calypso bulbosa looks like it would be tricky from seed. I have a book on growing native orchids at work, but won’t be back there for a couple of days.
One source for orchid growing is Bill Cullina, of the New England Wildflower Society. He has a beautiful book on Growing Orchids. He’s a fine writer, and an expert on native plants and ecosystems, so worth it if you’d like an understanding.
Thanks, we have four Cypripedium native to Arkansas. I haven’t been fortunate enought o see any, any certainly wouldn’t try and move them if I were.
I have Spiranthes lacera var. gracilis in the yard. Well, I live in the woods. It appears and vanishes overnight. Deer or rabbits, probably and my inability to recognize it when it isn’t blooming. 
I don’t know how knowledgeable you might be about orchids, but orchid seed is pretty much always tricky. Absent the seedbed of their natural environment, they usually have to be germinated on agar-agar or gelatin because the seeds don’t store very much, if any, food for the embryo.
I keep various easy orchids, but yes, what I’ve read about growing from seed makes it seem difficult. However, if I could dump it where the Spiranthes grows…
I think that might be where you’d find some difficulty. From what I gather, Calypso bulbosa (What a great botnerd bandname!) likes a spruce forest neighborhood, with cool night temperatures, the USDA map leaves out the whole Central South and Southeast, so Arkansas might not do. Here’s one good bit of info from The Terrestrial Orchid Forum.
Native orchids often need a symbiotic fungal “nurse” to help them germinate; the fungus native to the soil penetrates the seed and allows it to start to feed off the decaying vegetative layer. Different areas have specific mycorrhizae systems, so what might support your Spiranthes might not support your Calypso. Try it, though, and see. Plants can often surprise in their germane tenacity.
At least it’s not the $75.00 Lady’s Slipper I saw in another company’s catalog. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t cloned or grown in a greenhouse, but stolen from the wild.
I’ll risk $4.00 worth of seed and hope I’m not encouraging theft of an endangered species. I’ve read various results with Darlingtonia californica, including 90 F Australia.
Things sounded good in your link, like dry Summers, unitll I read:
Holy Shit.
For 4 bucks (how many seeds?) , worth a try. I was going to bring up Darlingtonia as as comparison—needs cold night temperatures to thrive. I’ve never had success with them here in North Carolina. Suspect Calypso would not be happy in the south either. Really, get Bill’s book, he’s an ace, and his books are exemplary.
100
The outfit is Alplains, a rock garden outfit in Colorado. Alpine Plains.
The website has only a link to get the catalog. I’ve toyed with the rock garden idea, but CPs orchids watergardening killifish and trying to make enough money to eat have kept me busy.
Anyway, we seem here to require a cool, wet woodland and I have a hot dry woodland save for the spring when I have a warm wet swamp.
Anyone know how Spiranthes jumps up, blooms for two or three days, disappears and still manages to come back next year?
Spiranthes is notorious for it’s persnickity habit. It’s just gonna do what it wants, so enjoy it’s bloom when you see it. Of the 300 native plants I grow every day, this is one of the most persnickity.
Ask Alpine Plains for best propagation method for Central South. And let me know what happens! Do make sure they give you good info on seed, and make you aware it’s tricky on the forefront.
Shuckins, it’s $4.00 for 100 seeds, what do I have to complain about?