The Nature Conservancy - Dutchman’s Breeches

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A delicate perennial herb, Dutchman’s Breeches are named for the yellow-tipped white, flattened flowers it bears in April and May. The odorless blossoms resemble wide-legged pantaloons hanging upside down. Growing on wooded slopes with well-drained soil, Dutchman’s Breeches are found from southern Ontario to north Alabama and west to Kansas. A western population, thought to have been separated from the eastern population for at least a thousand years, grows in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington state. The 4 to 12 inch tall plants are pollinated by bumblebees and other long-tongued insects, bearing seeds in small spindle-shaped pods.

Though the plant is poisonous to livestock, it was once used by Native Americans for a variety of purposes. Iroquois prepared infusions from its roots to make liniments to strengthen runners’ limbs. Other Native Americans used it as a love charm, throwing it at the intended or chewing the roots with the expectation that one’s breath would attract the object of affection.

Nature picture credits (left to right): Dutchman's breeches © Thomas G. Barnes @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database; Dutchman's breeches © William S. Justice@USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database