WHERE’S WILDLIFE • WILDFLOWER FIELD GUIDE

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper

Cypripedium × favillianum

Pronunciation (approximate): sip-rih-PEE-dee-um fah-vil-ee-AY-num

Pouch color can be creamy white to yellow. Explore the photographs below, from flower details to the plant in its surroundings.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper: cream pouch flower viewed from the front. Tap to browse the photo gallery.

NATIVE • NATURAL HYBRID

At a glance

Family Orchidaceae
Life cycle Perennial natural hybrid
Blooms Late spring–early summer
Height Variable; compare the parent plants
Habitat Damp meadows and prairie or woodland margins where the parent orchids meet

Bloom dates and size vary by region and growing conditions. Native status refers to North America.

Sightings map

Explore reported observations. Sightings are not a complete range map.

How to recognize it

Key identification clues

Pouch color can be creamy white to yellow.
Striped sepals and twisted lateral petals vary between plants.
Pleated leaves and flower proportions should be compared with both parents.

Where and when to look

Damp meadows and prairie or woodland margins where the parent orchids meet. Look for flowers in late spring–early summer; local conditions affect timing.

About this hybrid

Small White Lady’s-slipper × Greater Yellow Lady’s-slipper. See “How this hybrid forms” below for the parent comparison, naming and identification notes.

A closer look

Flower details

Pouch color can be creamy white to yellow.

Leaves & stems

Striped sepals and twisted lateral petals vary between plants.

Whole plant & habitat

Pleated leaves and flower proportions should be compared with both parents.

How this hybrid forms

This natural hybrid brings together Small White Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium candidum) and Greater Yellow Lady’s-slipper (C. parviflorum var. pubescens). Cross-pollination between compatible plants can produce offspring with a mix of parental features.

Greater Yellow Lady’s-slipper × Small White Lady’s-slipper → Hybrid Lady’s-slipper. Parent comparison by Where’s Wildlife; tap to enlarge.

What makes this hybrid interesting

More than a blend of colors. Hybrids may have white, cream or yellow pouches, and their flower size and plant height can fall between the parents.
Hybrids can cross again. Research on white and yellow lady’s-slippers documents crossing back with a parent species, called backcrossing. Some descendants look much like a parent despite having mixed ancestry.
One plant, two names to recognize. Cypripedium × favillianum is also treated as C. × andrewsii nothovar. favillianum. The × signals hybrid ancestry.

Flower color can change as blooms age. Compare several features; photographs alone cannot confirm parentage.

Learn more: COSEWIC / Government of Canada · Kew Plants of the World Online

Field photographs

Browse 17 field photographs. Tap any image to enlarge it; use Load more photos for additional views.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum): cream pouch flower viewed from the front. — Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum) — cream pouch flower viewed from the front.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum): yellowish orchid flower among prairie plants. — Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum) — yellowish orchid flower among prairie plants.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum): flowering orchid in dense grassy vegetation. — Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum) — flowering orchid in dense grassy vegetation.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum): yellow pouch with greenish striped petals. — Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum) — yellow pouch with greenish striped petals.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum): small yellow flower among grasses. — Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum) — small yellow flower among grasses.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum): wide view of the grassy growing site. — Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum) — wide view of the grassy growing site.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum): pale cream pouch and striped upper sepal. — Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum) — pale cream pouch and striped upper sepal.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum): group of pale pouch flowers above pleated leaves. — Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum) — group of pale pouch flowers above pleated leaves.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum): flowering plants in grassy vegetation. — Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum) — flowering plants in grassy vegetation.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum): pale-flowered stems among grasses. — Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum) — pale-flowered stems among grasses.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum): wide view of open grassland. — Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum) — wide view of open grassland.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum): cluster of cream pouch flowers and upright leaves. — Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum) — cluster of cream pouch flowers and upright leaves.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum): yellow pouch flower among neighboring plants. — Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum) — yellow pouch flower among neighboring plants.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum): pale flower and pleated leaves among grasses. — Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum) — pale flower and pleated leaves among grasses.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum): pale-flowered orchids in an open grassy setting. — Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum) — pale-flowered orchids in an open grassy setting.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum): pale orchid flowers surrounded by grasses. — Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum) — pale orchid flowers surrounded by grasses.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum): yellow pouch flower below neighboring pink flowers. — Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum) — yellow pouch flower below neighboring pink flowers.

Range & sightings

Locally recorded where Small White and Greater Yellow Lady’s-slippers overlap.

Observation maps show submitted records, not every place the plant occurs. Follow local access rules when visiting a site.

Keep learning

Practice recognizing Hybrid Lady’s-slipper, then explore other flowers in the guide.

Sources & further reading

Original photographs and comparison graphic: Where’s Wildlife. Identification and distribution references:

References checked October 2026. Pronunciations are approximate guides; botanical Latin pronunciation varies.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper — PNG clipart

AI-assisted artwork created from original Where’s Wildlife photography. Each purchase includes a transparent, watermark-free PNG for personal and commercial projects. Some details may be reconstructed or altered.

Hybrid Lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium × favillianum) PNG Clipart — IMG0456
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Hybrid Lady’s-slipper