History, biology, evolution, conservation, cultivation, and classification of cypripediums, the most popular of the temperate orchids.

The main feature of this book is the array of spectacular and beautiful photography of the 50 species and 100 hybrids of Cypripedium. The accompanying text includes plant descriptions, distribution, ecology, habitat and habit, as well as cultivation methods and details of nurseries offering slipper orchids. Other sections cover the history, morphology, ecology and conservation of Cypripedium.

Revision of: Orchids of Minnesota / Welby R. Smith; illustrated by Vera Ming Wong. -- Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, c1993.

One of every seven flowering plants on earth is an orchid. Some are stunningly over the top; others almost inconspicuous. The Orchidaceae is the second most widely geographically distributed family, after the grasses, yet remains one of the least understood. This book will profile 600 species, representing the remarkable and unexpected diversity and complexity in the taxonomy and phylogeny of these beguiling plants, and the extraordinary means they have evolved in order to ensure the attraction of pollinators. Each species entry includes life-size photographs to capture botanical detail, as well as information on distribution, peak flowering period, and unique attributes--both natural and cultural. The result is a work which will attract and allure, much as the orchids themselves do.