Cypripedium xcolumbianum

My apologies for the delay in returning comments. I was out orchid hunting - fifteen species in five different locations. This, however, is not one of them, but an orchid seen and photographed on an excursion in eastern Washington earlier in the year. I've identified this as the Columbia Hybrid Lady's Slipper, a natural hybrid of the Mountain Lady's Slipper, Cypripedium montanum, and the Yellow Lady's Slipper, Cypripedium parviflorum. There is a location in eastern Washington where a mixed population of Lady's Slippers grows including flowers that look like each of the parents and flowers that are clearly intermediate between the two. This actually resembles the Yellow Lady Slipper, but it is doubtful that any of the flowers in this population are pure and so I've identified it as the hybrid. By any name, however, it is beautiful and one of our favorite native orchids. There is more information about this population of Lady's Slippers at the link below.