_Dicentra canadensis_
_Flowers_--Irregular, greenish white tinged with rose, slightly
fragrant, heart-shaped, with 2 short rounded spurs, more than 1/2 in.
long, nodding on a slender Calyx of 2 scale-like sepals; corolla
heart-shaped at base, consisting of 4 petals in 2 united pairs, a
prominent crest on tips of inner ones; 6 stamens in 2 sets; style with
2-lobed stigma. _Scape_; Smooth, 6 to 12 in. high, the rootstock bearing
many small, round, yellow tubers like kernels of corn. _Leaves_: All
from root, delicate, compounded of 3 very finely dissected divisions.
_Preferred Habitat_--Rich, moist woods.
_Flowering Season_--May-June.
_Distribution_--Nova Scotia to Virginia, and westward to the
Mississippi.
Any one familiar with the Bleeding-heart _(Dicentra eximia)_ of
old-fashioned gardens, found growing wild in the Alleghanies, and with
the exquisite White Mountain Fringe _(Adlumia fungosa)_ often brought
from the woods to be planted over shady trellises, or with the
Dutchman’s breeches, need not be told that the little squirrel corn is
next of kin or far removed from the Pink Corydalis. It is not until we
dig up the plant and look at its roots that we see why it received its
name. A delicious perfume like hyacinths, only fainter and subtler,
rises from the dainty blossoms.