Endangered flower stolen at Minnesota arboretum
A rare, endangered flower is missing from the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chanhassen.
Horticulturist Tom Brinda says the pink and white Showy Lady's Slipper is like a work of art and is just as valuable in the outdoor arboretum as a prized painting in a gallery.
The species is Minnesota's state flower and has been protected by law since 1925. It's illegal to pick or uproot them.
Arboretum officials say a security guard noticed the single flower had been taken from the garden along the Green Heron Trail over the weekend.
KSTP-TV reports experts say the flowers take a long time to develop, sometimes 16 years, before it produces its first blossoms. The plants can also survive for up to 100 years.
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