Dicentra cucullaria

This native perennial plant is about 4-8" tall. It consists of a rosette of basal leaves spanning about 6" across. These basal leaves are greyish green and hairless. Each of these leaves is ternately compound and divided into 3 primary leaflets, while each primary leaflet is divided into 3 secondary leaflets. These secondary leaflets are pinnately cleft into linear or oblanceolate lobes. The petiole of each compound leaf is long and slender; it is often brown-colored. From the center of the rosette, there develops a drooping raceme of 2-6 pairs of white flowers. These flowers hang upside down from slender pedicels. In the middle of each pedicel, there is a pair of tiny bracts. Each flower is about ¾" long and assumes the form of upside down Dutchman's Breeches, hence the common name of the plant. It consists of 2 outer petals that are white and 2 inner petals that are pale yellow. The two outer petals form two nectar spurs that are long and spreading; they are joined together at the base. The two inner petals are much smaller and form the base of the flower; they have small wings that curl upward. The sepals of each flower are scale-like and insignificant. The blooming period occurs from early to mid-spring and lasts about 2-3 weeks. There is no noticeable floral scent. Each flower can develop into an oblongoid-ovoid seed capsule that tapers to a point on both ends. This seed capsule eventually splits apart into 2 segments to release the seeds. The root system consists of a bulbous base with fleshy scales and secondary roots.

This is a delightful spring wildflower of woodlands – both the flowers and foliage are attractive. Dutchman's Breeches is one of the earlier woodland wildflowers to bloom. The only other species with a similar appearance is Dicentra canadensis (Squirrel Corn). Squirrel Corn also occurs in mesic deciduous woodlands and blooms only a little later than Dutchman's Breeches. The nectar spurs of Squirrel Corn are shorter and more rounded than those of Dutchman's Breeches, and its white flowers are fragrant. It also has a root system that produces small edible tubers. Within the Fumitory family, Dicentra spp. differ from Corydalis spp. by the structure of their flowers – the former have flowers with 2 nectar spurs, while the latter have flowers with a single nectar spur.

Dutchman's Breeches is a common plant that occurs in nearly every county of Illinois. Habitats include deciduous mesic woodlands, especially along gentle slopes, ravines, or ledges along streams. This species occurs in original woodland that has never been plowed under or bulldozed over. It's abundance in such woodlands can be highly variable – from uncommon to common.

Bicuculla cucullaria (L.) Millsp.:
Canada (North America)
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Dicentra cucullaria (L.) Bernh.:
United States (North America)
Canada (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

N.B., N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que.; Ala., Ark., Conn., Del., D.C., Ga., Idaho, Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Mo., Nebr., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., N.Dak., Ohio, Okla., Oreg., Pa., R.I., S.C., S.Dak., Tenn., Vt., Va., Wash., W.Va., Wis.

Canada

Origin: Unknown/Undetermined

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Plants perennial, scapose, from short rootstocks bearing pink to white, teardrop-shaped bulblets. Leaves (10-)14-16(-36) × (4-)6-14(-18) cm; petiole (5-)8-16(-24) cm; blade with 4 orders of leaflets and lobes; abaxial surface glaucous; ultimate lobes linear to linear-elliptic or linear-obovate, (2-)5-15(-23) × (0.4-)2-3(-4.2) mm, usually minutely apiculate. Inflorescences racemose, 3-14-flowered, usually exceeding leaves; bracts minute. Flowers pendent; pedicels (2-)4-7(-12) mm; sepals broadly ovate, 1.8-5 × 1.3-4 mm; petals white, frequently suffused pink, apex yellow to orange-yellow; outer petals (10-)12-16(-20) × (3-)6-10(-13) mm, reflexed portion 2-5 mm; inner petals (7.5-)9-12(-14) mm, blade 1.8-4 mm, claw linear, 4-8 × less than 1 mm, crest prominent, ca. 2 mm diam.; filaments of each bundle connate from base to shortly below anthers; nectariferous tissue forming 1-3(-4.5) mm spur diverging at angle from base of bundle; style 2-4 mm; stigma 2-horned with 2 lateral papillae. Capsules ovoid, attenuate at both ends, (7-)9-13(-16) × 3-5 mm. Seeds reniform, ca. 2 mm diam., very obscurely reticulate, elaiosome present. 2 n = 32.

Fumaria cucullaria Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 699. 1753; Bicuculla cucullaria (Linnaeus) Millspaugh; B. occidentalis Rydberg; Dicentra cucullaria (Linnaeus) Bernhardi var. occidentalis (Rydberg) M. Peck

Dutchman's Breeches is a common plant that occurs in nearly every county of Illinois. Habitats include deciduous mesic woodlands, especially along gentle slopes, ravines, or ledges along streams. This species occurs in original woodland that has never been plowed under or bulldozed over. It's abundance in such woodlands can be highly variable – from uncommon to common.

Deciduous woods and clearings, in rich loam soils; 0-1500m.

The nectar of the flowers attracts long-tongued bees primarily, including bumblebees, Mason bees, Miner bees, and Anthophorid bees. Less common visitors include Bombylius major (Giant Bee Fly) and various butterflies and skippers. The butterflies and skippers are not effective pollinators of the flowers. Because the seeds have elaisomes (fleshy or oily appendages), they are distributed by ants. Ants carry the seeds to their nests, eat the elaisomes, and discard the seeds some distance from the mother plant. The foliage is toxic to mammalian herbivores and is not often eaten by them.

Dicentra cucullaria (Dutchman's Breeches)
(Bees usually suck nectar and less often collect pollen; other insects suck nectar; butterflies & skippers are non-pollinating; some observations are from Krombein et al., Schemske et al., and Macior as indicated below, otherwise observations are from Robertson; the bumblebee, Bombus affinis, sometimes perforated the floral spurs to steal nectar)

Bees (long-tongued)
Apidae (Apinae): Apis mellifera cp fq np; Apidae (Bombini): Bombus affinis sn prf sn@prf fq (Mc), Bombus auricomus sn fq, Bombus bimaculatus sn cp fq (Rb, Mc), Bombus fervida sn (Mc), Bombus griseocallis sn fq (Rb, Shm), Bombus impatiens sn, Bombus pensylvanica sn fq, Bombus vagans sn; Anthophoridae (Anthophorini): Anthophora ursina sn, Habropoda laboriosus sn; Anthophoridae (Eucerini): Synhalonia belfragii sn fq, Synhalonia dubitata sn; Megachilidae (Osmiini): Osmia bucephala bucephala sn fq, Osmia collinsiae sn, Osmia lignaria lignaria sn

Bees (short-tongued)
Andrenidae (Andreninae): Andrena carlini sn, Andrena erigeniae sn (Kr)

Flies
Bombyliidae: Bombylius major sn fq

Butterflies
Nymphalidae: Vanessa atalanta sn np; Papilionidae: Papilio glaucus sn np, Papilio marcellus sn np; Pieridae: Pieris rapae sn np

Skippers
Hesperiidae: Erynnis martialis sn np

Flowering early-late spring.

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 0
Specimens with Barcodes: 2
Species With Barcodes: 1

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Comments: Somewhat threatened by forest management practices; lack of disturbance resulting in succession also adversely affects this species (Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project 2002).

The preference is dappled sunlight of woodlands, mesic conditions, and a fertile loamy soil with abundant organic matter. This plant develops early and can resist moderate frost without damage.