Thought to be one of the slowest-growing plants in the world, the lady's slipper orchid takes between 6 and 11 years of growth before it actually produces flowers (10). The seeds are minute, dust-like particles that contain no food reserves. The materials needed for germination are derived from a symbiotic association with a mycorrhizal fungus. Orchids can be difficult to propagate in artificial conditions for this reason, but the lady's slipper orchid has been studied and successful ex-situ propagation techniques have been devised (7). It is dormant in winter, does not form tubers, but has creeping rhizomes (12).