FUMITORY FAMILY 



FUMARIACEAE 



SQUIRREL CORN 



Dicentra canadensis (Goldie) Walp. 



The Squirrel Corn is found in rich woods from Xova Scotia 

 to' Ontario and Minnesota, southward to Missouri, and along 

 the mountains to Kentucky and Virginia, but it is rare in Illinois. 



Since it greatly resembles 

 the Dutchman's Breeches, 

 page 121, perhaps it will be 

 sufficient to note the differ- 

 ences. 



Leaves and stem arise 

 6-12 inches high in this 

 species, and also from 

 tubers, but these, instead 

 of being clustered into a 

 bulbous structure as in the 

 Dutchman's Breeches are 

 scattered on underground 

 stems and are produced so 

 near the surface of the soil 

 that they frequently be- 

 come uncovered and lie on 

 top of the ground. These 

 yellowish tubers look some- 

 thing like grains of Corn 

 and are said to be relished 

 by squirrels, hence the 

 common name. Leaves are 

 the same except that in this 

 species they are decidedly paler beneath with a fine whitish bloom. 

 The Squirrel Corn blooms a week or so later than the Dutch- 

 man's Breeches, during April and May. The nodding, short- 

 pediceled flowers, 4-8 in a raceme topping the slender scape, 

 are greenish white frequently tinged with rose and are slightly 

 fragrant with the odor of Hyacinth. They are shaped very 

 much like our garden Bleeding Heart, a native of Japan but 

 very closely related. The crests or tips of the inner petals of 

 Squirrel Corn are much larger and more conspicuous than those 

 of the Dutchman's Breeches. Fruits of the two species are 

 similar. 



122 



