''Dicentra'' (

Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...

''dís'' "twice", ''kéntron'' "spur"), known collectively as the bleeding-hearts, is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

containing eight

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

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 ...

flowering Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

plants with unique, "heart"-shaped

flowers Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

and finely divided

foliage A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, f ...

. The species are, primarily,

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

to North America, although several are found in temperate

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

Description and growth requirements

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 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s and four

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

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 Rosette is the French diminutive of ''rose''. It may refer to: Flower shaped designs * Rosette (award), a mark awarded by an organisation * Rosette (design), a small flower design *hence, various flower-shaped or rotational symmetric forms: ** R ...

, and flowers are on leafless stalks. In other genera with bisymmetric heart-shaped flowers (''

Lamprocapnos ''Lamprocapnos spectabilis'', commonly known as bleeding heart or Asian bleeding heart, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the fumitory subfamily (Fumarioideae) of the Papaveraceae (poppy family). It is native to Northeast China and th ...

'', ''

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 comp ...

'', ''

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 California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast ...

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

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

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

pistil Gynoecium (; ; : gynoecia) 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 (botany), whorl of a flower; it consists ...

are held between the inner petals. Native to

Northeastern Asia Northeast Asia or Northeastern Asia is a geographical subregion of Asia. Its northeastern landmass and islands are bounded by the North Pacific Ocean. The term Northeast Asia was popularized during the 1930s by American historian and political s ...

, the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

, as well as parts of the

eastern United States The Eastern United States, often abbreviated as simply the East, is a macroregion of the United States located to the east of the Mississippi River. It includes 17–26 states and Washington, D.C., the national capital. As of 2011, the Eastern ...

, ''Dicentra'' almost universally prefer growing in cool, temperate, wet forests with excellent drainage, often growing side-by-side with

ferns The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

, ''

Hosta ''Hosta'' (, synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Funkia'') is a genus of plants commonly known as hostas, plantain lilies and occasionally by the Japanese name gibōshi. Hostas are widely cultivated as shade-tolerant foliage plants. The genus is placed ...

'',

mosses Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta ('' sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and ho ...

, and other shade- or dappled-light-loving species, depending on location and region. While ''Dicentra'' will bloom in filtered light or shade, if grown in poorly-drained soil and intense lighting, they will not bloom or thrive.

Seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

s with

elaiosome Elaiosomes ( ''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 elaiosomes that attract ...

s are borne in long capsules. All parts of ''Dicentra'' are

poisonous A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...

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

There are several hybrids and

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

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 ...

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

):- *''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

{{Authority control Papaveraceae genera