A discovery that changed everything we thought we knew about the genus in Central America — and the race against time to keep it safe.
In 2023, working in the eastern slopes of the Pico de Orizaba massif, our team confirmed what local botanists had long suspected: a population of Cypripedium larger than any previously documented in Mesoamerica.
Cypripediums — slipper orchids — are the iconic terrestrial orchids of the temperate northern hemisphere. In Mexico they reach the southern edge of their range, where the genus barely persists in scattered cloud forest pockets. The population we documented is unlike anything previously published for the region.
Three pressures dominate. Habitat conversion — even small clearings for pasture and milpa permanently disrupt the orchid's mycorrhizal partners. Illegal collection — Cypripediums are highly desirable to private collectors and command high prices on the black market. Climate — the cloud forest belt that supports the genus is migrating uphill faster than the orchids can.
Cypripedium conservation is slow, expensive, and unglamorous. It requires multi-year monitoring, careful permits, and patient relationships with local communities and authorities. Every contribution helps keep this work going.