Dutchman's Breeches |
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A perfect example of nature's perfection.. |
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Blood Root Dutchman's Breeches Trillum Wild Ginger |
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Most early spring flowers are white, or occasionally yellow. There's the red of wild ginger, but you have to bend down almost to the ground to see it. So until the end of April brings the first purple (in the form of the Downy Blue Violet), the woodland floor is not a painting in bright colors but a gallery of forms -- and the most fanciful form is Dutchman's Breeches, which resembles a pair of pants (of a size that would fit an elf nicely) hung up to dry with the pockets inside out. Even before the flowers open, its graceful, much-divided, deep green leaves stand out among other leaf shapes.
Dutchman's Breeches is a spring ephemeral: it makes the most of the early spring sunshine by blooming and setting seed before the trees have leafed out. When the tree canopy closes, even the leaves of Dutchman's Breeches disappear. Dicentra cucullaria Bleeding-Heart Family (Fumariaceae) | ||
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More information:
Dutchman's Breeches Site 1 Dutchman's Breeches Site 1 |
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© 2002 Helen
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