Reminiscent of its distantly related domestic garden cousin of Asian origin, the Pacific, or, western bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa), dangles clusters of charm-like blooms that appear almost too contrived to spring from the wild. However, this delicate native plant thrives throughout the Pacific Northwest’s coastal and mountain woodlands, carpeting the forest floor with fern-like foliage and exquisite blooms throughout much of the year.
Blooms
The Pacific bleeding heart flowers in late spring, following the season as it progresses up the mountainsides, and then continues intermittently into autumn. Several to as many as thirty individual blossoms form a drooping panicle1A panicle is a loosely branched, generally pyramidal flower cluster. atop a leafless scape2A scape is a leafless flower stalk that rises directly from the ground or from a basal clump of leaves. that rises above its foliage. Each intricate bloom consists of two outer petals that are folded along their centers to form somewhat flattened, yet pillowy nectar spurs on one end and two slender inner petals that are concealed except for their fused tips that extend beyond the narrow, flared opening of the other two at the opposite end. The petals are generally pale rose or mauve, but can range from deep magenta (especially on first opening) to uncommon pure white and striped forms. Two tiny, pointed sepals3Sepals are modified leaves that enclose a flower bud before it opens., sometimes in a contrasting color, appear as a clasp attaching the flower stem, or, pedicel4A pedicel is the stem that joins an individual flower to the main stalk of an inflorescence. to the bloom. Similarly, one or more wispy bracts5Bracts are leaves that occur within or just below a flower cluster and often differ in size, form, and sometimes color from ordinary leaves. cling to the base of each pedicel.
Plant Features
The plant is a perennial that rises each year from masses of rhizomes6Rhizomes are thickened stems that grow along or under the soil surface and bear shoots above and roots below. that spread to form a loose groundcover. Clumps of basal leaves and, eventually, scapes sprout from buds along the rhizomes; however, because the buds typically remain hidden from view underground, the leaves and flower stalks often appear disconnected from each other. Each leaf is roughly triangular or pentagonal in overall shape, divided three to five times into a fringe of irregular leaflets with multiple fine lobes or teeth. The upper surface is bluish to bright green with a contrasting pale sheen, or, glaucescence on the lower surface. Together, the leaves and scapes reach a height of up to 18.0 inches / 46 cm. The stems and rhizomes are brittle and snap easily under pressure.
Seed Capsules and Distribution
The fruit of the Pacific bleeding heart is a capsule similar to a pea pod that often emerges directly from the flower before its petals have even faded. Like many plants, the Pacific bleeding heart has evolved myrmecochory, a fascinating process that induces ants to aid in dispersal of its seeds. Each of the several seeds in a capsule has a gelatinous blob on its outer surface, called an elaiosome. Ants find the fat- and protein-rich elaiosomes a nutritious food source and carry off the seeds to their nests. After eating the elaiosomes, they neatly discard the seeds on their waste mounds, effectively “planting” them at the proper depth in fertile, aerated soil to start the resourceful plant’s lifecycle anew.
Range and Habitat
The Pacific bleeding heart ranges from coastal to subalpine elevations in British Columbia south to northern California and east to Idaho. (Sources sometimes also indicate its presence in Massachusetts on the opposite side of the continent, where a disjunct population is believed to have naturalized from domestic cultivation.) This seemingly fragile species prefers the damp shade of mixed forest; however, it sometimes appears in surprisingly sunny or stony locations where moisture is nevertheless abundant.
Subspecies
There are two recognized subspecies of Dicentra formosa: formosa and oregona (sometimes spelled oregana). The only subspecies native to Western Washington and common throughout most of the species’ range is subsp. formosa, described above. Subsp. oregona, commonly called the Oregon bleeding heart, occurs in only a small population in the Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon and northern California, where it often grows on serpentine soil that inhibits the growth of most plants because of its mineral composition and lack of organic nutrients. It is distinguished from subsp. formosa by its pale yellow to off white flowers, sometimes tipped with pink, and glaucescence on both leaf surfaces. Subsp. formosa is not associated with serpentine soil and rarely exhibits glaucescence on its upper leaf surfaces.
Gallery
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