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Dicentra cucullaria

Common name:	Dutchman's Breeches	Family:	Papaveraceae
Author:	(L.)Bernh.	Botanical references:	43, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	The plant is potentially poisonous and can also cause skin rashes[222].
Range:	Eastern N. America - Nova Scotia to N. Carolina and west to Kansas.
Habitat:	Cool places in rich mountain woods[43, 187].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Bicuculla cucullaria[B,P] Corydalis cuccularia[H] D. cuccularia[H] D. cucullaria var. occidentalis[B,P] D. occidentalis[B,P] Fumaria cucullaria[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Dutchman'S Breeches [E], Dutchman's Breeches [H,S,P], Dutchman's-breeches [B], Same Plant, Showing Foliage - Michigan [S], Turkey Corn [S],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	cucullaria = hooded
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Papaverales. Poppy family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Us

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.12m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower in May. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Alterative Diaphoretic Diuretic Poultice Tonic VD.

Alterative, tonic[46, 61].
The dried tubers were used as a tonic and were recommended in the treatment of VD[213].
A tea made from the roots is diaphoretic and diuretic[222].
A poultice made from the leaves has been used in the treatment of skin ailments and as a muscle rub to make them more limber[222].
The plant contains an alkaloid that depresses the central nervous system - it is used in the treatment of paralysis and tremors[222].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Easily grown in a rich light soil[1], preferably neutral to slightly acid[200]. Prefers light shade and a sheltered position[175] but also succeeds in heavier shade[200].
Plants are hardy to at least -20° c[187].
The seed is difficult to harvest, it ripens and falls from the plant very quickly[134].
The plant becomes dormant in the summer[188].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[134]. Stored seed should be sown in March[175]. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 6 months at 15° c[175]. Two weeks warm stratification at 18° c followed by six weeks at 2° c can shorten up the germination time[134]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in early spring[200]. Best done when the plant is dormant in late winter[188]. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Root cuttings 7 - 10cm long in sandy soil in a cold frame[200].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A& M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Corydalis cuccularia (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Dicentra cuccularia (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for the family Papaveraceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[134] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.

[175] Bird. R. (Editor) Focus on Plants. Volume 5. (formerly 'Growing from seed') Thompson and Morgan. 1991
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Corydalis spp.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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