PPDL Picture of the Week
July 9, 2018
Dutchman’s Breeches Bulblets
John Orick, Purdue Master Gardener State Coordinator, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
The photos in this article show the bulblets for a
wildflower known as Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra
cucullaria). This
spring flowering plant is related to another wildflower, squirrel-corn (Dicentra
canadensis) which looks very similar and has yellowish bulblets that
resemble corn kernels. Dutchman’s breeches has white to light pink oddly shaped
flowers which resemble a pair of 18th century “breeches” or
trousers. This perennial plant grows in woodland areas with part sun and shade
and its blooms are frequently visited by several pollinating insects. The plant
is toxic but offers some unique beauty to woodlands in the Midwest.
For
more information and pictures of the flower:
The
Virtual Nature Trail at Penn State New Kensington https://www.psu.edu/dept/nkbiology/naturetrail/speciespages/dutchmans_breeches.html
The
Indiana Dunes Plant Guide http://www.indunesguide.com/dicentracucullaria
The
United States Forest Service, “Plant of the Week” https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/dicentra_cucullaria.shtml
Missouri
Department of Conservation https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/dutchman%E2%80%99s-breeches