LucasLand

The Wildflowers

Wild Bleeding Heart

Dicentra eximia

Bloom in the spring through summer and into the fall. This plant along with dutchman's breeches and squirrel corn (all in the family) have flower structure and leaf structure essentially the same. The flowers on dangling racemes are composed of 4 petals, the large outer pair having spurs and the small inner pair being narrow - thus the odd shape. Wild bleeding heart is the largest of the three and is the only one that is pink to red in color. This delicate plant prefers rich woodland soil and is often found on ledges. We no longer have to travel to the large waterfall in the Jack Mountain Wildlife Management Area to see this plant. In May, 2003, Phil and I found it growing in the Craggy Place at the entrance to Indian Cave, only a short walk away. The smaller waterfall just one valley to the south did not contain any of these plants.