Dutchman's Breeches

This species has many common names depending on which part of the country you come from. One of its common names, Little Blue Staggers, is derived from its ability to induce drunken staggering if cattle graze on it, due to narcotic and toxic substances in the poppy-related genus. Bleeding heart is another common name.

This herbaceous perennial plant consists of a rosette of basal leaves spanning about 6" across. From the center of the rosette, there develops a semi-erect raceme of 2-6 pairs of white flowers on a long peduncle (flowering stalk).

Soil type: Fertile loamy soil

Soil moisture: Moderate amount of moisture

Sun exposure: Dappled sunlight of woodlands

Height: 4-8" tall

Bloom Color: White

Bloom Time: Early to mid-spring

Benefits: The nectar of the flowers attracts long-tongued bees primarily, including honeybees, bumblebees, mason bees. . 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 it is not often eaten by them.

(Sources: mortonarb.com / leavesforwildlife.com /vplant.org / inaturalist.org, gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/ https://www.fs.usda.gov)