Dicentra formosa subsp. formosa
Dicentra formosa
bleeding heart, Pacific bleeding-heart
Oregon bleeding heart, Pacific bleeding-heart, Pacific bleedinghearts, western bleeding-heart
blades abaxially glaucous, adaxially not glaucous (rarely glaucescent).
(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.
paniculate, 2-30-flowered, usually exceeding leaves;
bracts linear-lanceolate, 4-7(-12) × 1-2 mm, apex acuminate.
petals rose-purple to pink, rarely white.
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.
oblong, 4-5 mm diam.
reniform, ca. 2 mm diam., finely reticulate, elaiosome present.
= 16, 32.
Dicentra formosa subsp. formosa
Dicentra formosa
This subspecies occurs in two chromosomal races: tetraploids (2n = 32), distributed from the Cascade Mountains of Oregon southward throughout the Coast Ranges to central California, and diploids (n = 16), distributed from Vancouver Island and British Columbia southward through the Cascades and Coast Ranges, and along the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada to Monterey and Tulare counties, California. The flowers of both races vary appreciably in color, shape, and size.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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.)
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, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites:
CalFlora, CalPhotos, 
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
- 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
