Scientific Name
Lamprocapnos spectabilis (L.) Fukuhara.
Common Name(s)
Pacific Bleeding Heart, Western Bleeding Heart, Wild Bleeding Heart, Common Bleeding Heart
Synonym(s)
Fumaria formosa, Bicuculla formosa, Dicentra formosa var. formosa, Capnorchis formosa, Corydalis formosa, Diclytra formosa, Dielytra saccata
Scientific Classification
Family: Papaveraceae
Subfamily: Fumarioideae
Tribe: Fumarieae
Subtribe: Corydalinae
Genus: Dicentra
Origin
Dicentra formosa is native to the Pacific Coast of North America.
Flower
Color: Pink
Bloom Time: Mid-spring to fall
Description
Dicentra formosa is a wide-spreading rhizomatous perennial with abundant lobed leaves, mid-green above and glaucous below. The leaves are up to 18 inches (45 cm) long.
The flowers are heart-shaped, usually pink, opening from deep rose-pink buds and bloom in clusters of 5 to 15 at the top of fleshy leafless stems above the leaves from mid-spring to fall, with peak flowering in spring.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zone 4a to 8b: from −30 °F (−34.4 °C) to 20 °F (−6.7 °C).
How to Grow and Care
Bleeding Heart will grow in full sun in a moist and cool climate, but it requires some shade in warmer and drier climates. Keep plants well-watered throughout the summer, especially in warmer weather. Even then, they may be ephemeral and disappear until the fall or next spring. If you've recently planted your Bleeding Heart, it would be wise to mark the spot so you don't accidentally dig in the area while your plant is dormant. It prefers fertile, moist soil but is not particular about soil pH. Bleeding Heart is not a heavy feeder, so when to fertilize depends on the quality of your soil. If you have fertile, organic soil amended every year, you won't have to feed at all.
They can be started from seed, division, cutting, or seedling. It is very easy to divide Bleeding Heart plants. However, it should be divided after flowering so you don't sacrifice bloom. The fringed-leaf varieties divide nicely early in spring as they are emerging. It can also be started by seed or stem cuttings.
See more at How to Grow and Care for Bleeding Heart.
Links
- Back to genus Dicentra
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin
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