Dutchman's Breeches
Dicentra cucullaria
Arching stems hold rows of white, yellow-tipped flowers shaped like upside-down white pantaloons over delicate, lacy blue-green foliage in early spring. A charming native ephemeral that feeds early queen bumblebees before vanishing underground by early summer.
- Family
- Papaveraceae
- Type
- wildflower
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 0.5–1 ft
- Spacing
- 0.5–1 ft apart
- Light
- sun, part shade, shade
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- acidic, alkaline, neutral
- Bloom
- April, May
- Bloom colors
- white, yellow
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, butterflies, mammals, songbirds
- Landscape uses
- border, container
- Native states
- AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV
Related native plants
More Dicentra species
- Pacific Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa)
- Squirrel Corn (Dicentra canadensis)
- Fringed Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia)