Squirrel Corn Plant

Squirrel Corn-Dicentra Canadensis For Sale Affordable, Grower Direct Prices Tennessee Wholesale Nursery

Squirrel Corn Plant is a beautiful herbaceous perennial plant that grows along the ground of most hardwood forests in the eastern US. The leaves are dark green and white to pale pink heart-shaped flowers bloom on low stems in the early spring, usually beginning in April and lasting through May.

Squirrel Corn is the close cousin of  Dutchman's Breeches (D. cucullaria) a plant with similar characteristics. The foliage is nearly identical but Dutchman's Breeches blooms earlier and its flower is less heart-shaped, but like inflated pantaloons of Dutch tradition. These plants commonly grow in the same regions and can often be found next to each other in the same beds.  

Squirrel Corn grows at a leisurely pace, allowing it to be used for edging and ground cover in landscaping because it will not quickly take over and strangle other plants. 

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Care should be taken, however, to wear gloves while working with these plants. The leaves are known to contain skin irritants. Squirrel Corn is a beautiful addition to any garden. Squirrel Corn is named for the root system of the plant that resembles an ear of corn. Mice and chipmunks are known to transplant the tubers.

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It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil.

Squirrel Corn plant can be used as a diuretic or a tonic.  This plant is used to treat syphilis and scrofula.  It has also been used to treat menstrual problems in women.  This plant needs to be used under the supervision of a professional herbalist or physician as it can cause skin irritation.

Squirrel Corn Plant 

While parts of it may suggest otherwise, Squirrel Corn is not an edible plant as the name would suggest. Dicentra canadensis, as it called scientifically, is so named due to the delicate white flowers it sports. There are two earlike protrusions with heart-shaped bases and gently curling edges, the combination of which culminates in a flower that resembles a squirrel mid-leap. The delicate shape of the 3/4 inch blossoms on even shorter stamens and thin ruffles along the edges. The small clusters of bulbs are yellow in color and tightly packed together. Which makes them resemble the ears of corn and explains the second half of Squirrel corn's common name. Squirrel corn's leaves are fernlike both in their blue-gray coloring and the smooth, finely separated shape. With a triangular outline and a smooth surface, these often powdery or waxy leaves It is a springtime plant, flowering and at its greenest in the spring and becoming dormant in the summer, fall, and winter months. Eastern North America is where the Squirrel Corn makes its home, with its native habitat being deciduous woodland. Rich soil and rocky ground make the best and preferred habitat for Squirrel Corn. Related to the Bleeding Heart, this flowering plant is a perfect and unique addition to any garden.