Rare Orchid Saved From Extinction

For 50 years the only lady’s-slipper orchid (Cypripedium calceolus) growing wild in Britain was kept under 24-hour guard to prevent its extinction. The beautiful maroon-and-yellow orchid was so highly prized by the Victorians and succeeding generations that by the 1950’s, it had been "picked to death," and just one plant remained. Botanists tried to produce seedlings from this North Yorkshire plant, but its infrequent flowering made natural pollination impossible. However, in the early 1990’s, scientists at Kew Gardens, London, discovered a method called micropropagation, which enabled them to cultivate new plants from seeds obtained by hand-pollinating the flowers. These plants were then transferred to their natural limestone habitats, with the result that between 200 and 300 lady’s-slipper orchids are now growing in the north of England. One site is on view to the public, but the rest remain in secret locations to ensure their protection, reports The Independent of London, as "scientists continue to work on making them hardy enough to cope with pests and fungi."