58 WILD FLOWER FAMILIES 
generic name—Sanguinaria—of the Bloodroot is 
easily appreciated when one digs up the blood-red 
root that sends its ensanguined juices through the 
stalks to be transformed to snowy whiteness in the 
petals. 
.Dicentra. The beautiful little White Dicen- 
tra which bears the common name of Dutchman’s 
Breeches, is one of the most attractive wild flowers 
of early spring. Its foliage is cut into many fine 
divisions that give it a fern-like effect, while its 
exquisite waxy blossoms form a graceful raceme 
along the flower-stalk. These blossoms are vis- 
ited by the early-flying, long-tongued bees which 
gather the nectar secreted within the flowers. 
This species is quite generally distributed over 
the northern states in rich, moist woods. It is 
sometimes called the Soldier’s Cap and occasion- 
ally White Hearts. 
SQuIRREL Corn. The closely related Squirrel 
Corn is at once distinguished from the White 
Dicentra by the shape of the flower. In the 
Squirrel Corn the posterior lobes of the greenish 
white blossom, often flushed with pink, are not 
prominent and do not diverge from each other, 
as they do in the Dutchman’s Breeches. The 
flowers have a delicate fragrance, suggestive of 
that of the Hyacinth. The leaves are very similar 
in the two species and the geographical range is 
much the same. If you dig up the curious little 
