Delicate, intricate Dutchman's Breeches leaves have two stalks with flowers along the stalks. The flowers look like upside down white pantaloons with a yellow waist.

Dutchman's breeches foliage and flowers are in the bright sunlight.

Dutchman's Breeches flowers and intricate blue-green foliage seen from above.

Tiny black, shiny seeds are sitting on a paper towel with a penny for comparison.

The intricate leaves of Dutchman's breeches are just poking through the decaying leaves on the forest floor.

The blue-green intricate leaves of Dutchman's breeches have emerged from the decomposing leaves. Flowers have begun forming on the stalk but they are immature.

A stalk of Dutchman's Breeches flowers are held above the delicate foliage on the forest floor among decaying leaves.

Many, many leaves of Dutchman's breeches are seen among other species. Here and there stalks stick up with the white and yellow flowers on them.

This is a close-up of the multi-lobed intricate leaves of Dutchman's breeches and flowers shaped like tiny pantaloons.

A Dutchman's Breeches plant with its intricate leaves and pantaloon shaped flowers are seen among some Virginia Bluebells.

Delicate, intricate, blue-green Dutchman's Breeches leaves have two stalks with flowers along the stalks. The flowers look like upside down white pantaloons with a yellow waist.

A large Dutchman's Breeches plant with many flower stalks is near a tree trunk and many Virginia Bluebells are in the background.

Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)

from $6.00

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Twice in my life I have thought, if fairies exist, they are here. The first time was when I was at Cape Cod National Seashore watching piping plovers and their chicks zoom around on their little legs in the sand. The second time was visiting a beech maple forest in Hiawatha National Forest in the Upper Peninsula. It was full of trillium, rosy twisted stalk, emerging Northern Maidenhair fern (magic!) and Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria). Photos cannot do it justice. But it came to mind because the little pantaloons fit right into the fairy theme.

The blue-green foliage of Dutchman’s breeches is intricate and a beautifully different texture than other spring greens in the forest. Flowers develop along a main stem (raceme). The two “pant legs” are up top and yellowish lobes on the bottom open up to expose the stamens (male parts) and style (female parts). These flowers bloom early in the season providing food for hungry queen bumblebees as they emerge. Dutchman’s breeches provide both nectar and pollen for insects.

After pollination, pods form along the stem and the seeds enlarge and mature inside until the pods split open. Seeds are shiny, black and have an eliasome that attracts ants.

Prairie Moon Nursery warns that a shady site is not enough for this plant. Soil needs to be rich and drain well. If you have heavy clay, this species will not thrive. Additionally, this species will do best if there are decaying leaves kept around the plants. We suggest saving a pile of fall leaves that you can draw from during the growing season, replacing them when they break down fully.

The plant itself grows out of a cluster of pinkish corms (like small bulbs) in the soil. If grown from seed, they take a few years to mature.

Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)

Michigan Flora reference page for state distribution: Dutchman’s Breeches

height: 12 inches

bloom time: April-May

soil: medium, rich

sun: sun in early spring, shade in summer

plant spacing: 8”

flower: white and yellow

life cycle: perennial

family: Papaveraceae

Sizes:

quart 2.5” pots bare root

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Twice in my life I have thought, if fairies exist, they are here. The first time was when I was at Cape Cod National Seashore watching piping plovers and their chicks zoom around on their little legs in the sand. The second time was visiting a beech maple forest in Hiawatha National Forest in the Upper Peninsula. It was full of trillium, rosy twisted stalk, emerging Northern Maidenhair fern (magic!) and Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria). Photos cannot do it justice. But it came to mind because the little pantaloons fit right into the fairy theme.

The blue-green foliage of Dutchman’s breeches is intricate and a beautifully different texture than other spring greens in the forest. Flowers develop along a main stem (raceme). The two “pant legs” are up top and yellowish lobes on the bottom open up to expose the stamens (male parts) and style (female parts). These flowers bloom early in the season providing food for hungry queen bumblebees as they emerge. Dutchman’s breeches provide both nectar and pollen for insects.

After pollination, pods form along the stem and the seeds enlarge and mature inside until the pods split open. Seeds are shiny, black and have an eliasome that attracts ants.

Prairie Moon Nursery warns that a shady site is not enough for this plant. Soil needs to be rich and drain well. If you have heavy clay, this species will not thrive. Additionally, this species will do best if there are decaying leaves kept around the plants. We suggest saving a pile of fall leaves that you can draw from during the growing season, replacing them when they break down fully.

The plant itself grows out of a cluster of pinkish corms (like small bulbs) in the soil. If grown from seed, they take a few years to mature.

Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)

Michigan Flora reference page for state distribution: Dutchman’s Breeches

height: 12 inches

bloom time: April-May

soil: medium, rich

sun: sun in early spring, shade in summer

plant spacing: 8”

flower: white and yellow

life cycle: perennial

family: Papaveraceae

Twice in my life I have thought, if fairies exist, they are here. The first time was when I was at Cape Cod National Seashore watching piping plovers and their chicks zoom around on their little legs in the sand. The second time was visiting a beech maple forest in Hiawatha National Forest in the Upper Peninsula. It was full of trillium, rosy twisted stalk, emerging Northern Maidenhair fern (magic!) and Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria). Photos cannot do it justice. But it came to mind because the little pantaloons fit right into the fairy theme.

The blue-green foliage of Dutchman’s breeches is intricate and a beautifully different texture than other spring greens in the forest. Flowers develop along a main stem (raceme). The two “pant legs” are up top and yellowish lobes on the bottom open up to expose the stamens (male parts) and style (female parts). These flowers bloom early in the season providing food for hungry queen bumblebees as they emerge. Dutchman’s breeches provide both nectar and pollen for insects.

After pollination, pods form along the stem and the seeds enlarge and mature inside until the pods split open. Seeds are shiny, black and have an eliasome that attracts ants.

Prairie Moon Nursery warns that a shady site is not enough for this plant. Soil needs to be rich and drain well. If you have heavy clay, this species will not thrive. Additionally, this species will do best if there are decaying leaves kept around the plants. We suggest saving a pile of fall leaves that you can draw from during the growing season, replacing them when they break down fully.

The plant itself grows out of a cluster of pinkish corms (like small bulbs) in the soil. If grown from seed, they take a few years to mature.

Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)

Michigan Flora reference page for state distribution: Dutchman’s Breeches

height: 12 inches

bloom time: April-May

soil: medium, rich

sun: sun in early spring, shade in summer

plant spacing: 8”

flower: white and yellow

life cycle: perennial

family: Papaveraceae

There is another species in the Dicentra genus. It is Dicentra canadensis—Squirrel Corn. Rather than the pointy “pant legs” of Dutchman’s Breeches, that part of the flower is rounded so that it looks like a heart. They are also related to Bleeding Heart. Wild Ginger Woodlands only sells Dutchman’s Breeches.

One yellow trout lily with a pair of smooth green leaves with a single lily like flower is amongst Dutchman's breeches leaves.

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To the left of a trail, many columbine plants with even more flowers are in bloom. Red and yellow colors are visible.

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A large group of Zig Zag Goldenrod leaves and flowers are in front of a spikenard bush.

Zig Zag Goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis)

from $5.00

A purplish-green plant with flower buds emerges from the decaying leaves on the forest floor.

Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)

from $8.00

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Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)

After pollination, pods form along the stem and the seeds enlarge and mature inside until the pods split open. Seeds are shiny, black and have an eliasome that attracts ants.

The plant itself grows out of a cluster of pinkish corms (like small bulbs) in the soil. If grown from seed, they take a few years to mature.

After pollination, pods form along the stem and the seeds enlarge and mature inside until the pods split open. Seeds are shiny, black and have an eliasome that attracts ants.

The plant itself grows out of a cluster of pinkish corms (like small bulbs) in the soil. If grown from seed, they take a few years to mature.

After pollination, pods form along the stem and the seeds enlarge and mature inside until the pods split open. Seeds are shiny, black and have an eliasome that attracts ants.

The plant itself grows out of a cluster of pinkish corms (like small bulbs) in the soil. If grown from seed, they take a few years to mature.

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