Dicentra nevadensis

Tulare county bleeding heart, Tulare County Bleeding Heart

Family: Papaveraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Tulare county bleeding heart is a rare California native perennial ranked 4.3 by CNPS, found in southern Sierra Nevada Mountains in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, Tulare County, growing in gravelly meadow soils at elevations of 2,200 to 3,100 meters. Flowering in July, this plant produces delicate white to pale yellow or light pink flowers that darken to black when dry, hanging in clusters of 2 to 20 blooms. Growing 20 to 45 centimeters tall with a spreading rhizomatous root system, it develops elegant branching stems. Its intricate leaves are 2-ternate-dissected, spreading 15 to 25 centimeters wide with finely divided leaflets. The flower's distinctive structure features a central stamen base uniquely looped into the base of each outer petal, creating an unusual botanical architecture.

Habitat: Meadows, in gravelly soils

Bloom period: Jul

Elevation: 2200-3100 m

Bioregions: s SNH (Sequoia, Kings Canyon national parks, Tulare Co.).

California counties: Tulare, Fresno, Butte

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.