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Oregon bleeding heart, Pacific bleeding-heart, Pacific bleedinghearts, western bleeding-heart

dicentre du Canada, squirrel-corn

Habit Plants perennial, scapose, from elongate, stout rhizomes. Plants perennial, scapose, from short rootstocks bearing yellow, globose bulblets.
Leaves

(15-)25-40(-55) × (8-)12-20(-35) cm;

blade with 3-5 orders of leaflets and lobes;

abaxial surface and sometimes adaxial surface glaucous;

penultimate lobes oblong, distal ones usually coarsely 3-toothed at apex, (4-)10-20(-50) × (1.5-)3-4(-8) mm.

(10-)14-24(-30) × (4-)6-14(-18) cm;

petiole (5-)8-16(-22) cm;

blade with 4 orders of leaflets and lobes;

abaxial surface glaucous; ultimate lobes linear to linear-elliptic or linear-obovate, (2-)5-15(-23) × (0.4-)2-4 mm, usually minutely apiculate.

Inflorescences

paniculate, 2-30-flowered, usually exceeding leaves;

bracts linear-lanceolate, 4-7(-12) × 1-2 mm, apex acuminate.

racemose, 3-12-flowered, usually exceeding leaves, (10-)15-27(-33) cm;

bracts ovate, 2-5 × 1-3 mm.

Flowers

pendent;

sepals lanceolate to ovate or nearly round, 2-7 × 2-3 mm;

petals rose-purple, pink, cream, or pale yellow, rarely white;

outer petals (12-)16-19(-24) × 3-6 mm, reflexed portion 2-5 mm;

inner petals (12-)15-18(-22) mm, blade 2-4 mm wide, claw linear-elliptic to linear-lanceolate, 7-10(-12) × 1-2 mm, crest 1-2 mm diam., exceeding apex by 1-2 mm;

filaments of each bundle connate from base to shortly below anthers except for a 2-3 mm portion of median filament just above base; nectariferous tissue borne along distinct portion of median filament;

style 3-9 mm;

stigma rhomboid, 2-horned.

pendent, very fragrant;

pedicels (2-)3-7(-14) mm;

sepals triangular to ovate, 2-4 × 1-2 mm, apex acuminate;

petals white;

outer petals (10-)12-16(-20) × (2-)4-5(-8) mm, reflexed portion 3-5 mm;

inner petals (10-)12-15(-18) mm, blade 2-4 mm, claw linear-elliptic, 5-9 mm, crest prominent, ca. 2 mm diam., exceeding apex by ca. 2 mm;

filaments of each bundle distinct nearly to base; nectariferous tissue forming 0.5-1 mm spur oriented vertically;

style 4-7 mm;

stigma shallowly 2-horned with 2 lateral papillae.

Capsules

oblong, 4-5 mm diam.

ovoid, attenuate at both ends, (5-)9-13(-17) × 3-6 mm.

Seeds

reniform, ca. 2 mm diam., finely reticulate, elaiosome present.

slightly reniform, very obscurely reticulate, elaiosome present.

Dicentra formosa

Dicentra canadensis

Phenology Flowering early–late spring.
Habitat Deciduous woods, often among rock outcrops, in rich loam soils
Elevation 0-1500 m (0-4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; DC; IA; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Andrews has been cited almost universally as the author of Fumaria formosa. However, Haworth's authorship of the sixth volume of Andrews' Botanists' Repository (in which this species was originally described) generally has been overlooked, and it was actually Haworth who first delineated F. formosa (W. T. Stearn 1944).

Early attempts to cross Dicentra formosa with D. eximia (2n = 16) failed, possibly because the D. formosa parents were tetraploids. Several later hybrids between the two species received plant patents and have become widely marketed throughout the flora area and elsewhere (K. R. Stern 1961, 1968; K. R. Stern and M. Ownbey 1971).

Both subspecies, as well as hybrids between them and Dicentra eximia, are widely cultivated.

The Skagit used a decoction of the roots of Dicentra formosa to expel worms; they chewed raw roots for toothaches (D. E. Moerman 1986, species not indicated).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

See discussion under the following species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Petals rose-purple to pink, rarely white; leaf blades adaxially not glaucous (rarely glaucescent).
subsp. formosa
1. Petals cream-colored or rarely pale yellow, rose-tipped; leaf blades adaxially distinctly glaucous.
subsp. oregana
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Fumariaceae > Dicentra Fumariaceae > Dicentra
Sibling taxa
D. canadensis, D. chrysantha, D. cucullaria, D. eximia, D. nevadensis, D. ochroleuca, D. pauciflora, D. uniflora
D. chrysantha, D. cucullaria, D. eximia, D. formosa, D. nevadensis, D. ochroleuca, D. pauciflora, D. uniflora
Subordinate taxa
D. formosa subsp. formosa, D. formosa subsp. oregana
Synonyms Fumaria formosa, D. saccata Corydalis canadensis, Bicuculla canadensis
Name authority (Haworth) Walpers: Repert. Bot. Syst. 1: 118. (1842) (Goldie) Walpers: Repert. Bot. Syst. 1: 118. (1842)
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