''Dicentra'' (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

''dís'' "twice", ''kéntron'' "spur"), known as bleeding-hearts, is a genus of eight species of

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

plants Plants are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic eukaryotes of the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all curr ...

with oddly shaped flowers and finely divided leaves,

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to eastern Asia and North America.

Description

Flowers have two tiny

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s and four

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s. The flowers are bisymmetric: the two outer petals are spurred or pouched at the base and curved outwards or backwards at the tip, and the two inner ones with or without a crest at the tip. In ''Dicentra'', all leaves are in a basal rosette, and flowers are on leafless stalks. In other genera with bisymmetric heart-shaped flowers (''

Lamprocapnos ''Lamprocapnos spectabilis'', bleeding heart, fallopian buds or Asian bleeding-heart, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the fumitory subfamily (fumarioideae) of the poppy family Papaveraceae, and is native to Siberia, northern China, ...

'', ''

Dactylicapnos ''Dactylicapnos'' (climbing dicentra; formerly included in ''Dicentra'') is a genus of frost-tender perennial or annual climbers native to the Himalayas, northern Burma, central southern China, and northern Vietnam. Description Leaves are compou ...

'', ''

Ichtyoselmis ''Ichtyoselmis macrantha'' (also spelled ''Ichthyoselmis''; formerly known as ''Dicentra macrantha''; large-flowered dicentra) is the only species in the genus ''Ichtyoselmis''. It is a perennial plant growing from a long rhizome, native to woodl ...

'', ''

Ehrendorferia ''Ehrendorferia'' (eardrops) is a genus of two species of biennial or perennial herbaceous plants native to wildfire-prone areas of California and the Baja California peninsula. It was named after the Austrian botanist Friedrich Ehrendorfer Fri ...

''), leaves grow on stems as well as from the root. Each of the two compound

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s is composed of one median and two lateral half stamens fused together. The stamens and

pistil Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

are held between the inner petals.

Seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s with

elaiosome Elaiosomes ( grc, ἔλαιον ''élaion'' "oil" + ''sóma'' "body") are fleshy structures that are attached to the seeds of many plant species. The elaiosome is rich in lipids and proteins, and may be variously shaped. Many plants have elaio ...

s are borne in long capsules. All parts are poisonous if ingested.

Taxonomy

Current species

The genus ''Dicentra'' includes plants whose flowers and leaves grow on stems directly from the roots. Species with branching stems used to be included in the genus, but have now been moved to other genera.

Former species

The genera ''Dactylicapnos'', ''Ichtyoselmis'', ''Ehrendorferia'' and ''Lamprocapnos'' were previously included as subgenera in ''Dicentra'', but have been shown not to belong in this genus (see for example Flora of China) * ''

'' Wall. (14 species of herbaceous climbers with yellow flowers, Himalaya to SW China) ** ''Dactylicapnos burmanica'' (K.R.Stern) Lidén ** ''Dactylicapnos grandifoliolata'' Merrill (''Dicentra paucinervia'' K.R.Stern) ** ''Dactylicapnos lichiangensis'' (Fedde) Hand.-Mazz. ** ''Dactylicapnos macrocapnos'' (Prain) Hutchinson ** ''Dactylicapnos roylei'' (Hook.f. & Th.) Hutchinson ** ''Dactylicapnos scandens'' (D.Don) Hutchinson ** ''Dactylicapnos schneideri'' (Fedde) Lidén ** ''Dactylicapnos gaoligongshanensis'' Lidén ** ''Dactylicapnos torulosa'' (Hook.f. & Th.) Hutchinson (''Dicentra wolfdietheri'' Fedde) ** ''Dactylicapnos cordata'' Lidén *''

'' Lidén (2 species of erect robust herbaceous perennials with yellow or cream erect flowers, Western N America) ** ''

Ehrendorferia ochroleuca ''Ehrendorferia ochroleuca'' (formerly ''Dicentra ochroleuca''), commonly known as white eardrops or yellow bleeding-heart, is a biennial or perennial, native to gravelly areas in the chaparral and woodlands of California (Peninsular, Transverse ...

'' (Engelm.) Lidén=''Dicentra ochroleuca'' Engelm. ** ''

Ehrendorferia chrysantha ''Ehrendorferia chrysantha'' (syn. ''Dicentra chrysantha''), with the common name golden eardrops, is a biennial to perennial plant in the family Papaveraceae. It is native to dry, brushy areas prone to wildfire in diverse regions of California, ...

'' (Hook. & Arn.) Lidén. Golden Ear-drops=''Dicentra chrysantha'' Hook. & Arn. *''

'' Lidén (1 species of large herbaceous perennial with serrate leaflets and large drooping cream flowers, China, Burma) ** ''Ichtyoselmis macrantha'' (Oliver) Lidén *''

'' Endlicher (1 species of herbaceous perennial with large pink flowers in horizontal racemes, NE China, Korea) ** ''Lamprocapnos spectabilis'' (L.) Fukuhara bleeding heart=''Dicentra spectabilis'' Lem.

Cultivation

Dicentra 'King of Hearts' and 'Ivory Hearts'

There are several hybrids and

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s involving ''Dicentra eximia'', ''Dicentra formosa'', and ''Dicentra peregrina'', including (those marked have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

):- *''Dicentra'' 'Aurora' — ''Dicentra formosa'' × ''Dicentra eximia'' — white flowers *''D. formosa'' 'Bacchanal' () — deep red *''Dicentra'' 'Ivory Hearts' — ''Dicentra peregrina'' × ''Dicentra eximia'' 'Alba' — white *''Dicentra'' 'King of Hearts' — ''Dicentra peregrina'' × (''Dicentra formosa'' subsp. ''oregana'' × ''Dicentra eximia'') *''D. formosa'' 'Langtrees' () *''Dicentra'' 'Luxuriant' () — ''Dicentra formosa'' × ''Dicentra eximia'' × ''Dicentra peregrina'' *''Dicentra'' 'Stuart Boothman' () Hybrids involving ''Dicentra peregrina'' are often intolerant of hot, humid climates and sun, like the species itself.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q157857 Papaveraceae genera