- Dicentra formosa
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Dicentra formosa 
Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Ranunculales Family: Fumariaceae Genus: Dicentra Species: D. formosa Binomial name Dicentra formosa
(Haw.) Walp.Dicentra formosa (western or Pacific bleeding-heart) is a herbaceous perennial growing from a rhizome, native to moist woodland from California to British Columbia.
Contents
Description
Leaves are finely divided and fernlike, growing from the base of the plant.
Flowers are pink, red, or white and heart-shaped and bloom in clusters at the top of leafless, fleshy stems above the leaves from mid-spring to autumn, with peak flowering in spring. The four petals 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 sepals behind the petals.
Seeds are borne in plump, pointed pods.
The plant frequently goes dormant for the summer after flowering, emerging and flowering again in autumn.
Similar species
This species is frequently confused with and sold as Dicentra eximia, which has narrower flowers and longer, more curved outer petal tips.
Subspecies
There are two subspecies:
- Dicentra formosa subsp. formosa — leaves glaucous beneath and never glaucous above, flowers purple pink to pink or white
western slope of Sierra Nevada, Coast Ranges to central California, Cascades, extreme southwestern British Columbia - Dicentra formosa subsp. oregona (often spelled oregana) — leaves glaucous above and beneath, flowers cream or pale yellow
small area of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon
Cultivars
Dicentra formosa 'Bacchanal'
There are several cultivars and hybrid cultivars involving Dicentra eximia and Dicentra peregrina.
- Dicentra formosa
- white
- Dicentra formosa 'Langtrees' (= 'Pearl Drops') — bluish-green leaves
- Dicentra formosa 'Margaret Fish' — bluish-gray-green
- Dicentra formosa 'Quicksilver' — bluish-gray-green — resentful of hot-humid climates and sun
- Dicentra formosa Snowflakes (= 'Fusd') — green
- Dicentra formosa Sweetheart — green
- pink
- Dicentra formosa 'Bacchanal' — deep red flowers
- Dicentra formosa 'Coldham' — deep burgundy
- Dicentra formosa 'Zestful' — deep rose-pink
Dicentra 'Aurora'- Hybrids
- Dicentra 'Adrian Bloom' (from a seedling of D. 'Bountiful') — dark pink flowers, bluish-green leaves
- Dicentra 'Aurora' (D. formosa × D. eximia) — pure white, gray-green — particularly tolerant of hot-humid climates
- Dicentra 'Bountiful' (D. formosa subsp. oregana × D. eximia) — rosy red, bluish-green
- Dicentra 'Gothenburg' (D. formosa subsp. oregana × D. peregrina f. alba) — light pink, compact
- Dicentra 'King of Hearts' — D. peregrina × (D. formosa subsp. oregana × D. eximia) — pink, bluish-gray-green
- Dicentra 'Silversmith' (D. formosa subsp. oregana × D. eximia) — white pink-tinted, green
- Dicentra 'Stuart Boothman' (D. formosa subsp. oregana × D. eximia) — deep pink, gray-green
Gallery
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comparison of flowers of Dicentra formosa and Dicentra eximia
References
- Bleeding hearts, Corydalis, and their relatives. Mark Tebbitt, Magnus Lidén, and Henrik Zetterlund. Timber Press. 2008. — Google Books
External links
- Germplasm Resources Information Network page
- Jepson Manual Treatment
- USDA PLANTS profile
- Flora of North America
- CalPhotos (UC Berkeley photo gallery)
- King County Native Plant Guide
- PlantFiles
Categories:- Dicentra
- Flora of California
- Flora of British Columbia
- Flora of Washington (state)
- Flora of Oregon
- Fumariaceae
- Natural history of the California Coast Ranges
- Garden plants of North America
- Groundcovers
- Ranunculales stubs
- Dicentra formosa subsp. formosa — leaves glaucous beneath and never glaucous above, flowers purple pink to pink or white
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