Literal Bleeding Hearts

Not a cheery tale, granted. But, considering the shape of the blooms, it was almost inevitable that this plant come to represent romantic sorrow. The Chinese reportedly used it, like we use our daisy, as a seer of sorts! But, instead of chanting, "he loves me; he loves me not," a hopeful maiden would simply crush one of the heart-shaped flowers. If it bled red, her love was returned. If it bled white, she might as well break out the lace hanky and consolatory chocolate.

Although it would have been relatively new at the time, bleeding heart was, reportedly, one of the plants most missed by American settlers after they made their westward trek. After all, few others perform so beautifully in shade. And perhaps its blooms aptly symbolized the pioneers' initial homesickness. Also, despite its reputation as a heart-breaker, dicentra will faithfully return to you each spring-- just as long as you don't expect it to stick around for long!

Note: Dicentra spectablis photo is by author, all rights reserved, and may not be copied or reproduced without permission. Dicentra formosa subsp. oregona photo is by James Manhart and dicentra cucullaria and dicentra spectabilis white photos are by Hugh Wilson, all courtesy of the Texas Vascular Plant Image Gallery at http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/gallery . Dicentra canadensis image is coutesy of the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine at http://www.swsbm.com/homepage/ .

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