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The term "bleeding heart" is most often used these days to refer to "a person who shows extravagant sympathy esp. for an object of alleged persecution." So it is often coupled with "liberal". But, just in time for Valentine's Day, this article will deal with the garden or "literal" bleeding heart!
Dicentra derives from the Greek dis ("twice") and kentron ("a spur"), in reference to the two hooks on each bloom. And "spectabilis" actually means "showy." The plant has also been known as heart of Jesus, heart of Mary, lady's eardrops, lady's locket, lady in a boat (or bath), and lyre flower. With its three-feet-tall, graceful foliage and racemes of heart-shaped flowers, it makes a spectacular May show in my garden-frequently with sweet woodruff, forget-me-nots, or lilies of the valley blooming around its feet. But, like a philanthropist with a short attention span, this bleeding heart doesn't stick around. Once its flowers have withered, it promptly bows out, not to return until the following May. Those looking for a longer-lasting dicentra might want to try the "fringed" variety, eximia. Although not as willowy, this type is still, as its name indicates, "out of the ordinary." A wildflower native to eastern America, it can continue to bloom on and off all summer. There is also a western type whose title "formosa" means "handsome." The wilder branch of the dicentra family also includes Squirrel Corn (dicentra canadensis), so named because its tubers resembled kernels, and Dutchman's Breeches (dicentra cuccularia). "Cuccularia," strangely enough, actually means hood-like rather than pants-like! Although Louise Beebe Wilder describes these two wildflowers as "pleasantly scented" in The Fragrant Path, she writes that the yellow-flowered Golden Ear-drop (dicentra chrysantha) has "a strong narcotic odor." Some of the wild dicentras have been used as tonics and/or diuretics, but they can be toxic. And their leaves sometimes raise a rash on sensitive skins. So you shouldn't "set your heart" on getting any medicinal benefit from this clan! I have grown a climbing yellow-flowered dicentra whose flowers were neither profuse nor particularly impressive, but it did boast very pretty foliage. If I remember correctly, the plant also bled orange, like celandine. Unfortunately, it failed to survive our Zone 5 winter. You can reportedly make a story out of a dicentra spectabilis flower by dividing it into six pieces that are supposed to resemble 2 pink rabbits, a pair of earrings, a pair of Oriental slippers, and a dagger. The first five items supposedly stand for the gifts presented by an infatuated young man to a cold-hearted princess. And the last is what he stabbed himself with when she spurned him!
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The copyright of the article Literal Bleeding Hearts in Historical Plants is owned by . Permission to republish Literal Bleeding Hearts in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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