Dicentra formosa
Dicentra ochroleuca
Oregon bleeding heart, Pacific bleeding-heart, Pacific bleedinghearts, western bleeding-heart
white eardrops
1 or more, rigidly erect, 10-20(-40) dm, 2-3 cm or more diam. at base.
(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.
(12-)25-35(-50) × (6-)10-20(-35) cm;
blade with 4 orders of leaflets and lobes; ultimate leaflets (10-)20-30(-60) × (5-)8-15(-30) mm, ultimate lobes linear-lanceolate.
paniculate, 2-30-flowered, usually exceeding leaves;
bracts linear-lanceolate, 4-7(-12) × 1-2 mm, apex acuminate.
terminal, paniculate, 5-many-flowered, subglobose;
bracts nearly round to ovate, 4-8 × 3-7 mm, margins entire.
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.
erect;
pedicel rigid, 2-10 mm;
sepals nearly round to ovate, (5-)7-10(-12) × 3-7(-9) mm;
petals dull to yellowish white;
outer petals purple-tipped, (15-)22-26(-30) mm, reflexed portion 5-12 mm;
inner petals (15-)20-22(-24) mm, claw 6-9 mm and 2/3 width of blade, crest 3-5 mm diam., exceeding apex by 2-4 mm;
filaments of each bundle connate from base to shortly below anthers, rarely distinct from near base; nectariferous tissue borne at base of median filament, not projecting into outer petal;
stigma shallowly 2-horned, ca. 2 times wider than long.
oblong, 4-5 mm diam.
ovoid, attenuate at both ends, (10-)20-30(-35) × 5-8 mm.
reniform, ca. 2 mm diam., finely reticulate, elaiosome present.
slightly reniform, ca. 1.3 (rarely to 2) mm diam., densely covered with tiny protuberances, elaiosome absent.
perennial, caulescent, glaucous, from stout taproots.
= 32.
Dicentra formosa
Dicentra ochroleuca
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.)
The seeds of Dicentra ochroleuca usually do not germinate unless desiccated or seared by fire.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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 |
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
