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Dicentra spectabilis

Common name:	Bleeding Heart	Family:	Papaveraceae
Author:	(L.)Lem.	Botanical references:	58, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	The plant is potentially poisonous and can also cause skin rashes[222].
Range:	E. Asia - N. China, Japan, Korea and Siberia. Locally naturalized in Europe[50].
Habitat:	Woods and deep shady valleys[187].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Fumaria spectabilis[G] Lamprocapnos spectabilis[B,G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Bleeding Heart [H], Bleeding Heart, Garden [S], Common Bleedinghearts [P], Dutchman's Breeches [H], Garden Bleeding Heart [S],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	spectabilis = notable, spectacle
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Papaverales. Poppy family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.6m by 0.5m . It is hardy to zone 6. It is in flower from May to July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.

Edible Uses

Leaves.

Young leaves in spring - cooked[105, 177].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Easily grown in a rich light soil[1]. Grows best in a light but good woodland soil, preferably not limy[208]. Prefers light shade and some shelter from winds[175]. Tolerates a sunny position if it is growing in a moist border but once planted the plant should not be disturbed since the roots are brittle[200].
A very ornamental plant[1], it is hardy to at least -20° c[187].
The seed is difficult to harvest, it ripens and is shed very quickly[134].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[134]. Stored seed should be sown in early spring[175]. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 6 months at 15° c[175]. Two weeks warm stratification at 18° c followed by six weeks at 2° c can shorten up the germination time[134]. Prick out the plants into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle, grow them on for their first winter in a cold frame and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring.
Division in early spring[200]. Care must be taken since the plant strongly resents root disturbance[200]. Division is best carried out in late winter[188]. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Root cuttings 7 - 10cm long in sandy soil in a cold frame[200].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Lamprocapnos spectabilis (a possible synonym).

[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A& M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

References for the family Papaveraceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[134] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.

[175] Bird. R. (Editor) Focus on Plants. Volume 5. (formerly 'Growing from seed') Thompson and Morgan. 1991
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Corydalis spp.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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