spotted at bridge 76 in May 2018
Dutchman’s Breeches Dicentra cucullaria is a perennial herbaceous plant, native to rich woods of eastern North America, The rootstock is a cluster of small pink to white teardrop-shaped miniature tubers. The flowers, usually white but occasionally suffused with pink, are 1–2cm (½–¾in) long. They are produced in early spring in racemes* of 3 to 14 flowers on peduncles (flower stalks) 12–25cm (4¾in) long. The leaves and flower stems die back in late spring after the seed has ripened, and the bulblets remain dormant through the summer. In the fall, starch in the bulblets is converted to sugar, and the beginnings of the next spring’s leaves and flowers develop below ground.