Dicentra Formosa ~ Western or Pacific Bleeding Heart
The pink, heart-shaped flowers of this plant define the pacific bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa). While the flowers are not as showy as some of the popular ornamental varieties, the plant as a whole is still beautiful and offers great benefits to a variety of wildlife. Growing 8-18″ high, the plant is a perennial which dies back to the ground in the winter and is usually found in wetter settings such as forests, ravines and along creeks. The leaves are deeply cut which gives the foliage a delicate, lacy, fern-like appearance. The flowers, which stand only slightly higher than the foliage, droop downwards in small groups and are pink, heart-shaped with four petals creating a sac with spurs on the end and appear from April to June. The fruit is a seed capsule which contains several black, shiny seeds.
Bleeding heart is native to the west coast from British Columbia south to central California, mostly on the west side of the mountains and at lower to mid-level elevations. Bleeding heart requires soil which is porous, rich in humus and moist, but without standing water around the roots. It grows well in mostly shady conditions and is a good plant choice for tough conditions under other plants or trees. It’s a rather fragile plant and doesn’t do well with heavy foot traffic and so should be planted in quiet, low traffic areas or in containers. www.metrofieldguide.com/?p=1214
