Dicentra formosa ssp. oregana

Oregon Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa ssp. oregana) is a rare native perennial herb that grows in northern California. close to the Oregon border. Leaves are finely divided and fernlike, growing from the base of the plant. Flowers are pink, red, or white and heart-shaped and bloom in clusters at the top of leafless, fleshy stems above the leaves from mid-spring to autumn, with peak flowering in spring. The four petals are attached at the base. The two outer petals form a pouch at the base and curve outwards at the tips. The two inner petals are perpendicular to the outer petals and connected at the tip. There are two tiny, pointed sepals behind the petals. Seeds are borne in plump, pointed pods. The plant self-seeds readily. It frequently goes dormant for the summer after flowering, emerging and flowering again in autumn. Dicentra formosa subsp. oregona (often spelled oregana). It’s leaves are glaucous above and beneath, flowers cream or pale yellow. It grows in a small area of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon.