Height: 5"-10" (13-25cm). Flower: 3/4" (2cm) long; irregular, flattened, with 4 petals, the two small inner ones with spoon-shaped tips, the two larger outer ones with spurs in the form of the letter V; several, nodding in racemes. Leaves: Dissected; basal, upright. In Bloom: April-May. Habitat-Range: Rich woods on rocky slopes; mostly throughout, in mountains in south.
The common name derives from the shape of the flowers, which reminded early botanists of white pantaloons on a clothesline with yellow-belted waists down and the ankles up. The plant grows from a bulb, which was dried and used medicinally as a tonic and blood purifier.