''Dicentra formosa'' (western, wild or Pacific bleeding heart) is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

with fern-like leaves and an

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

of drooping pink, purple, yellow or cream flowers native to the

Pacific Coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western or southwestern border, except for Panama, where the Pac ...

of North America.Sierra Nevada Wildflowers, Karen Wiese, 2nd Ed., 2013, p. 83

Description

Pacific bleeding-heart is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herbaceous plant 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 ...

. Its

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are three to four times divided and

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...

-like, growing from a brittle

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

at the base of the plant. It grows to tall by wide. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are pink, red, or white and heart-shaped and bloom in clusters of 5 to 15 at the top of leafless, fleshy stems above the leaves from mid-spring to autumn, with peak flowering in spring. The 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 are attached at the base. The two outer petals form a pouch at the base and curve outwards at the tips. The two inner petals are perpendicular to the outer petals and connected at the tip. There are two tiny, pointed

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 behind the 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 are borne in plump, pointed pods. The plant self-seeds readily. It frequently goes dormant for the summer after flowering, emerging and flowering again in autumn. The species contains

isoquinoline Isoquinoline is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound. It is a structural isomer of quinoline. Isoquinoline and quinoline are benzopyridines, which are composed of a benzene ring fused to a pyridine ring. In a broader sense, the term isoquin ...

, a toxic alkaloid known to be fatal to cattle. The Pacific bleeding-heart is frequently confused with the fringed bleeding-heart ('' Dicentra eximia'') and sold under that name. The fringed bleeding-heart has narrower flowers and longer, more curved outer petal tips. ''D. formosa'' is related to '' Lamprocapnos spectabilis'', another popular plant called "bleeding heart", which was formerly placed in the same genus. Dicentra eximia vs Dicentra Luxuriant.jpg, Flower shape: ''Dicentra'' 'Luxuriant' (a ''Dicentra formosa'' hybrid) compared with ''Dicentra eximia'' Dicentra formosa closeup.jpg, Flower cluster Dicentra formosa closeup3 cropped.png, Closeup of flower Bleeding Heart Olympic National Park-557625.jpg, Leaves unfurling from a bud

Ecology

The Pacific bleeding-heart is native to moist woodland, forest, and streambanks from California to British Columbia, from sea level to the

subalpine zone Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

. There are two

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

, ''Dicentra formosa'' subsp. ''formosa'' and ''Dicentra formosa'' subsp. ''oregona''. Subsp. ''formosa'' grows in the majority of the plant's range, from

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

and southern

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

and south through

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

to central

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in the

Coast Ranges The Pacific Coast Ranges (officially gazetted as the Pacific Mountain System in the United States) are the series of mountain ranges that stretch along the West Coast of North America from Alaska south to Northern and Central Mexico. Although the ...

and Cascades, and on the western slope of the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

. Subsp. ''oregana'' grows in a small area of southern Oregon and northern California in

serpentine soil Serpentine soil is an uncommon soil type produced by weathered ultramafic rock such as peridotite and its metamorphic derivatives such as serpentinite. More precisely, serpentine soil contains minerals of the serpentine subgroup, especially anti ...

s in the

Siskiyou Mountains The Siskiyou Mountains are a coastal subrange of the Klamath Mountains, and located in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the United States. They extend in an arc for approximately from east of Crescent City, California, northea ...

. These subspecies are also distinguished by appearance: * ''Dicentra formosa'' subsp. ''formosa'' – leaves glaucous beneath and never glaucous above, flowers purple pink to pink or white * ''Dicentra formosa'' subsp. ''oregona'' (often spelled ''oregana'') – leaves glaucous above and beneath, flowers cream or pale yellow File:Blumen0190.JPG, A colony of plants File:Dicentra formosa on Iron Horse Trail.jpg, Wild plants on the

Iron Horse Regional Trail The Iron Horse Regional Trail is a rail trail for pedestrians, horse riders and bicycles in the East Bay Area in California. This trail is located in inland central Alameda and Contra Costa counties, mostly following a Southern Pacific Rail ...

in the

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...

Cultivars

''Dicentra formosa'' is widely grown as a garden plant, and several

cultivars A cultivar is a type of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and when Plant propagation, propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and st ...

have been developed. 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 ...

: *white and green flowers **'Langtrees' (= 'Pearl Drops') – bluish-green leaves **'Margaret Fish' – bluish-gray-green **'Quicksilver' – bluish-gray-green – resentful of hot, humid climates and sun **'Snowflakes' (= 'Fusd') – green **'Sweetheart' – green *pink and red flowers **'Bacchanal' – deep red flowers **'Coldham' – deep burgundy **'Luxuriant' – red flowers **'Zestful' – deep rose-pink There are several

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

cultivars involving ''D. formosa'', the eastern American species '' D. eximia'' and the Japanese species '' D. peregrina'': *'Adrian Bloom' (from a seedling of ''D.'' 'Bountiful') – dark pink flowers, bluish-green leaves *'Aurora' (''D. formosa'' × ''D. eximia'') – pure white, gray-green – particularly tolerant of hot-humid climates *'Bountiful' (''D. formosa'' subsp. ''oregana'' × ''D. eximia'') – rosy red, bluish-green *'Gothenburg' (''D. formosa'' subsp. ''oregana'' × ''D. peregrina'' f. ''alba'') – light pink, compact *'King of Hearts' – ''D. peregrina'' × (''D. formosa'' subsp. ''oregana'' × ''D. eximia'') – pink, bluish-gray-green *'Silversmith' (''D. formosa'' subsp. ''oregana'' × ''D. eximia'') – white pink-tinted, green *'Stuart Boothman' (''D. formosa'' subsp. ''oregana'' × ''D. eximia'') – deep pink, gray-green

History

The Pacific bleeding-heart (''Dicentra formosa'' subsp. ''formosa'') was first noted by Europeans when the Scottish surgeon and naturalist

Archibald Menzies Archibald Menzies ( ; 15 March 1754 – 15 February 1842) was a Scottish surgeon, botanist and naturalist. He spent many years at sea, serving with the Royal Navy, private merchants, and the Vancouver Expedition. He was the first recorded Euro ...

encountered it on the

Vancouver Expedition The Vancouver Expedition (1791–1795) was a four-and-a-half-year voyage of exploration and diplomacy, commanded by Captain George Vancouver of the Royal Navy. The British expedition circumnavigated the globe and made contact with five continen ...

. Menzies collected seed in 1792 in

Nootka Sound , image = Morning on Nootka Sound.jpg , image_size = 250px , alt = , caption = Clouds over Nootka Sound , image_bathymetry = , alt_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = Map of Nootka So ...

, and gave it to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in 1795. From there, seed made its way into cultivation in Europe. It apparently was not cultivated in the United States until 1835, when

William Kenrick William Kenrick may refer to: *William Kenrick (Member of Barebone's Parliament), MP for Kent (UK Parliament constituency) *William Kenrick (writer) (1725–1779), English novelist, playwright and satirist *William Kenrick (nurseryman) (1795&nda ...

began selling the plant in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. The subspecies ''oregana'' was first cultivated around 1932, when it was offered by Borsch and Sons in

, but is not grown very often.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment
**map
''Dicentra formosa'' subsp. ''formosa''
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''Dicentra formosa'' subsp. ''oreganaCalPhotos (UC Berkeley photo gallery)King County Native Plant Guide
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1871251

formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territorie ...

Flora of California Flora of British Columbia Flora of Washington (state) Flora of Oregon Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Garden plants of North America Plants described in 1842 Flora without expected TNC conservation status Taxa named by Henry Cranke Andrews