Lamprocapnos

Lamprocapnos spectabilis, bleeding heart or Asian bleeding-heart,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae, native to Siberia, northern China, Korea and Japan. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus Lamprocapnos, but is still widely referenced under its old name Dicentra spectabilis (now listed as a synonym). It is valued in gardens and in floristry for its heart-shaped pink and white flowers, borne in spring.[3]

Lamprocapnos
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Papaveraceae
Genus: Lamprocapnos
Endl.
Species:
L. spectabilis
Binomial name
Lamprocapnos spectabilis
(L.) Fukuhara
Synonyms [1]

Dicentra spectabilis (L.) Lem.
Diclytra spectabilis (L.) DC.
Fumaria spectabilis L.

Other common names include lyre flower, heart flower and lady-in-a-bath.

Description
The two inner petals are made visible when the two pink outer petals are pulled apart. Their shape yields the common name "lady-in-a-bath".

The Asian bleeding-heart grows to 120 cm (47 in) tall by 45 cm (18 in) wide. It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial with 3-lobed compound leaves on fleshy green to pink stems. The arching horizontal racemes of up to 20 pendent flowers are borne in spring and early summer. The outer petals are bright fuchsia-pink, while the inner ones are white. The flowers strikingly resemble the conventional heart shape, with a droplet beneath – hence the common name. The plant sometimes behaves as a spring ephemeral, going dormant in summer.[3]

buds

History

The first specimens were introduced to England from Asia in the 1840s by the Scottish botanist and plant hunter Robert Fortune.[4]

Cultivation

In a moist and cool climate, it will grow in full sun, but in warmer and drier climates it requires some shade.

Aphids, slugs and snails sometimes feed on the leaves.

Clumps remain compact for many years and do not need dividing. They have brittle roots which are easily damaged when disturbed. Root cuttings should be taken in spring.[5]

Seeds with whitish elaiosomes are borne in long pods. They must be sown while fresh. Division should be done in the late fall (autumn) or early spring.

Cultivars

The following have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:-[6]

  • Lamprocapnos spectabilis[7] (pink and white)
  • 'Alba'[8] (white)
  • "Valentine" ('Hordival')[9] (red and white)

'Gold Heart', introduced from Hadspen Garden, England, in 1997,[4] has yellow leaves.

Toxins

Contact with the plant can cause skin irritation in some people from isoquinoline-like alkaloids.[10][11]

  • Foliage and buds
  • Cultivar 'Goldheart'
  • Cultivar 'Alba'
  • Bleeding heart in backyard

References
  1. "Lamprocapnos". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  2. "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 25 January 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  3. RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.
  4. University of Vermont: Perry's Perennial Pages
  5. "Bleeding heart". Plant Finder. BBC. 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  6. "AGM Plants – Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 58. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  7. "Lamprocapnos spectabilis". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  8. "Lamprocapnos spectabilis 'Alba'". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  9. "RHS Plantfinder – Lamprocapnos spectabilis 'Valentine'". Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  10. University of Vermont Department of Plant and Soil Science
  11. Leikin, Jerrold B.; Paloucek, Frank P., eds. (2007), Poisoning and toxicology handbook, Boca Raton, Fla: CRC, p. 886, ISBN 1-4200-4479-6

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