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Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra
cucullaria)
Flower ¾ in., plant 4-12 in., Poppy family
These wildflowers are hard to miss! Rows of tiny white
“pantaloons” hang from arching, leafless stalks like elves’ laundry on a
clothesline. The plant has feathery leaves at the base. Each fragrant flower
has four petals, but the two outer ones are what look like trousers with the
legs pointing upward.
In Victorian times, this plant’s name, referring to a
man’s pants, was considered “indecent” or at least “unrefined.”
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Look for Breeches (more often spelled “Britches”) in
rich woods with dark soil in early April. Their flowers are
pollinated by female bumblebees, the only insects with a proboscis long
enough to reach the nectar in the “pants-legs.”
Squirrel Corn, a close relative, often grows in the
same habitats as Dutchman’s Breeches, but its dangling flowers are
heart-shaped. Another relative is pink Bleeding Heart that grows both wild
and in gardens.
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