Dicentra

Dicentra
	Dicentra cucullaria (type species)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
Order:	Ranunculales
Family:	Papaveraceae
Subfamily:	Fumarioideae
Tribe:	Fumarieae
Subtribe:	Corydalinae
Genus:	Dicentra; Bernh.
Species
	8 (see below)
Synonyms
	Diclytra Borkh. nom. rej.; Dielytra = orthographic variant of Diclytra; Possible synonyms: Lamprocapnos Endl.; Ehrendorferia Fukuhara & Lidén; Ichtyoselmis Lidén & Fukuhara

Dicentra (bleeding-heart; Greek dís "twice", kéntron "spur")^[3] is a genus of eight species of herbaceous plants with oddly shaped flowers and finely divided leaves, native to eastern Asia and North America.

Description

Flowers have two tiny sepals and four petals. The flowers are bisymmetric: the two outer petals are spurred or pouched at the base and curved outwards or backwards at the tip, and the two inner ones with or without a crest at the tip. In Dicentra, all leaves are in a basal rosette, and flowers are on leafless stalks. In other genera with bisymmetric heart-shaped flowers (Lamprocapnos, Dactylicapnos, Ichtyoselmis, Ehrendorferia), leaves grow on stems as well as from the root.^[4] Each of the two compound stamens is composed of one median and two lateral half stamens fused together. The stamens and pistil are held between the inner petals.

Seeds with elaiosomes are borne in long pods.

All parts are poisonous if ingested.

Taxonomy

Current species

The genus Dicentra includes plants whose flowers and leaves grow on stems directly from the roots. Species with branching stems used to be included in the genus, but have now been moved to other genera.^[4]

Dicentra canadensis (Goldie) Walp.
squirrel-corn
Dicentra cucullaria (L.) Bernh.
Dutchman's-breeches
Dicentra eximia (Ker-Gawl.) Torr.
fringed bleeding-heart, turkey-corn
Dicentra formosa (Haw.) Walp.
western or Pacific bleeding-heart
- Dicentra formosa subsp. formosa
- Dicentra formosa subsp. oregana
Dicentra nevadensis Eastw.
Sierra bleeding-heart
Dicentra pauciflora S. Wats.
short-horn steer's-head
Dicentra peregrina (Rudolphi) Makino
komakusa
Dicentra uniflora Kellogg
long-horn steer's-head

Flowers
Squirrel-corn (Dicentra canadensis)
Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)
Turkey-corn (Dicentra eximia)
Pacific Bleeding-heart (Dicentra formosa)
Few-flowered Bleeding-heart (Dicentra pauciflora)
Komakusa (Dicentra peregrina)
Steer's-head (Dicentra uniflora)

These species names are synonyms of the names above:

Dicentra lachenaliaeflora Ledeb. = Dicentra peregrina
Dicentra oregana Eastw. = Dicentra formosa subsp. oregana
Dicentra pusilla Siebold & Zucc. = Dicentra peregrina

Hybrids and cultivars

There are several hybrids and cultivars involving Dicentra eximia, Dicentra formosa, and Dicentra peregrina, including:

Dicentra 'Aurora' — Dicentra formosa × Dicentra eximia — white flowers
Dicentra 'Bacchanal' — Dicentra formosa cultivar — deep red
Dicentra 'Ivory Hearts' — Dicentra peregrina × Dicentra eximia 'Alba' — white
Dicentra 'King of Hearts' — Dicentra peregrina × (Dicentra formosa subsp. oregana × Dicentra eximia)
Dicentra 'Luxuriant' — Dicentra formosa × Dicentra eximia × Dicentra peregrina

Hybrids involving Dicentra peregrina are often intolerant of hot-humid climates and sun like the species itself.

Former species

The genera Dactylicapnos, Ichtyoselmis, Ehrendorferia and Lamprocapnos were previously included as subgenera in Dicentra, but have been shown not to belong in this genus (see for example Flora of China web page)

Dactylicapnos Wall. (14 species of herbaceous climbers with yellow flowers, Himalaya to SW China)
- Dactylicapnos burmanica (K.R.Stern) Lidén
- Dactylicapnos grandifoliolata Merrill (Dicentra paucinervia K.R.Stern)
- Dactylicapnos lichiangensis (Fedde) Hand.-Mazz.
- Dactylicapnos macrocapnos (Prain) Hutchinson
- Dactylicapnos roylei (Hook.f. & Th.) Hutchinson
- Dactylicapnos scandens (D.Don) Hutchinson
- Dactylicapnos schneideri (Fedde) Lidén
- Dactylicapnos gaoligongshanensis Lidén
- Dactylicapnos torulosa (Hook.f. & Th.) Hutchinson (Dicentra wolfdietheri Fedde)
- Dactylicapnos cordata Lidén
Ehrendorferia Lidén (2 species of erect robust herbaceous perennials with yellow or cream erect flowers, Western N America)
- Ehrendorferia ochroleuca (Engelm.) Lidén = Dicentra ochroleuca Engelm.
- Ehrendorferia chrysantha (Hook. & Arn.) Lidén. Golden Ear-drops = Dicentra chrysantha Hook. & Arn.
Ichtyoselmis Lidén (1 species of large herbaceous perennial with serrate leaflets and large drooping cream flowers, China, Burma)
- Ichtyoselmis macrantha (Oliver) Lidén
Lamprocapnos Endlicher (1 species of herbaceous perennial with large pink flowers in horizontal racemes, NE China, Korea)
- Lamprocapnos spectabilis (L.) Fukuhara bleeding heart = Dicentra spectabilis Lem.

References

^ ^a ^b International Plant Names Index
^ GRIN taxonomy
^ δίς, κέντρον. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project
^ ^a ^b Tebbitt, Mark; Lidén, Magnus; Zetterlund, Henrik (2008). Bleeding hearts, Corydalis, and their relatives. Timber Press. pp. 56–58. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

[IPNI-1] International Plant Names Index

[2] GRIN taxonomy

[3] δίς, κέντρον. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project

[dicentra-4] Tebbitt, Mark; Lidén, Magnus; Zetterlund, Henrik (2008). Bleeding hearts, Corydalis, and their relatives. Timber Press. pp. 56–58. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

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