Pigea monopetala
Lady's slipper
Overview
Pigea monopetala is a slender perennial herb growing 8-20 inches (20-50 cm) tall from a woody rootstock, with thin, wiry, sparsely branched stems. Leaves are narrow and linear to lance-shaped, 0.4-2 inches (1-5 cm) long, scattered along the stems and sometimes reduced on the upper growth. Violet to purple flowers hang on thread-like stalks; each has five petals, the lowest enlarged into a broad lip 0.2-0.4 inch (5-10 mm) long while the other four stay small, giving the bloom a one-sided shape. Flowering stems carry one or a few open flowers at a time over a long season. Small capsules split into three boat-shaped valves that flick the seeds outward as they dry. The plant dies back to the rootstock in dry or cold conditions and reshoots after rain. It grows in open heath and dry forest on sandy soils and stays inconspicuous among grasses and low shrubs except when in flower.
Native Range
Native to eastern Australia, from Queensland through New South Wales to Victoria. Grows in heath, woodland, and dry sclerophyll forest on sandy and gravelly soils, often in open, well-drained sites.Suggested Uses
Grown in heath gardens, rockeries, and native plant collections on sandy, low-nutrient soils, spaced about 8-12 inches (20-30 cm) apart. Suited to dry, open plantings among grasses and low shrubs. The slender habit and small flowers keep it inconspicuous outside the flowering season.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height8" - 1'8"
Width/Spread6" - 1'
Bloom Information
Flowers over a long period from late winter through spring and into summer, mainly August to January in its native range. Individual flowers are short-lived, with new ones opening in succession on the wiry stems. Flowering increases after rain and following fire in the surrounding heath.
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
Violet to purpleFoliage Description
Green to grey-greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 5-9 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Grows in full sun to light shade on free-draining sandy or gravelly soil low in nutrients, at a pH of about 5.0-6.5. Tolerates extended dry periods once established by dying back to the woody rootstock and reshooting after rain. Needs little water beyond rainfall in its native climate and is sensitive to waterlogging and to rich, fertilized soils. Few pests affect it. The deep rootstock makes the plant hard to transplant, so it is usually raised from seed, which germinates after fire or with smoke treatment.Pruning
Trim spent flowering stems to tidy the plant after the main flush. Cut die-back growth to ground level in winter where the rootstock survives. No other pruning is needed.Container Growing
✓ Suitable for container growing
Minimum container size: 2 gallons