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Bleeding Heart

Dicentra (dy-SEN-trah)

Family: Papaveraceae Native Herbaceous (1-3 ft)

Dicentra is a genus of eight species of annual and herbaceous perennial flowering plants in the poppy family (Papaveraceae). They are native to moist woodland areas in North America and western Asia and typically grow to a height and width of 1 foot. Plant in partial to full shade in rich well-draining moist soils. Tolerant of the deepest shade these plants resemble ferns with their deeply divided lacey leaves, but unlike ferns they flower often with two-toned heart-shaped blooms, hence the common name bleeding heart. These low maintenance flowering plants add a pop of cheery color to a shade garden and are resistant to damage by slugs. Plant in a woodland garden in a border front along a walkway or tucked in an understory planting. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 52 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Annual; Ground Cover; Herbaceous Perennial; Native Plant; Poisonous
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
Light
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 9 in. - 1 ft. 6 in. | Width: 0 ft. 9 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Cascading
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Black; Blue; Green; Purple/Lavender
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf margin
Lobed
Leaf feel
Smooth
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
2-pinnately divided, the ultimate segments deeply lobed.
Flower color
Pink; Red/Burgundy; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower detail
Elongated, terminal cluster, each nodding with 2 spurs on the upper side
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
Inedible
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Green
Stem detail
Flower stems are leafless.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
North America and Asia
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Capsule

Edibility

All plant parts are poisonous

Landscape Use
Landscape location
Walkways; Woodland
Landscape theme
Native Garden; Rock Garden; Shade Garden
Design feature
Border
Garden tags
#delicate #poisonous #pink flowers #white flowers #cascading #spring interest #summer flowers #heart-shaped leaves #heavy shade tolerant #border front #slug resistant #understory planting #shade flowers #low maintenance #lacy leaves #NC native #woodland #rabbit resistant #deer resistant #walkway
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Aphids Found on Flowers and Foliage
Problems
Poisonous to Humans
Resistant to
Deer; Heavy Shade; Rabbits; Slugs
Particularly resistant to
Deer and rabbit resistant
Poison severity
Medium
Poison parts
Flowers; Leaves; Roots; Sap/Juice; Seeds; Stems
Poison symptoms
Trembling, staggering, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, labored breathing. Skin irritation after repeated contact with the cell sap
Toxic principle
Several isoquinolone alkaloids
Contact dermatitis
Yes
Toxicity summary
Medium severity poison; parts: Flowers; Leaves; Roots; Sap/Juice; Seeds; Stems; contact dermatitis

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.