Status and Habitat Characteristics of Cypripedium kentuckiense (Kentucky lady's slipper) in Southeastern Oklahoma

Abstract

Cypripedium kentuckiense is a long-lived herbaceous perennial that inhabits floodplain and mesic hardwood forests. It occurs in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia and has been reported from Choctaw, LeFlore, McCurtain, and Pushmataha counties in Oklahoma. C. kentuckiense is considered a rare species throughout its range, but is not currently protected under the United States Endangered Species Act. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine whether known populations of C. kentuckiense were persisting in Oklahoma and (2) characterize habitat structure. Twelve sites were surveyed in  2001 and 2002 for populations of C. kentuckiense, but only three persistent populations were found. The populations that were relocated numbered fewer than 20 total stems and all showed a dramatic decline in population size relative to previous surveys.