Dicentra pauciflora
Few flowered bleeding heart
(c) Brian Finzel, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Papaveraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Dicentra pauciflora (Few flowered bleeding heart) is a native California herb in the Papaveraceae family, recognized by small size, 1-3 flowers, and short petal tips.
Few flowered bleeding heart is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern California Ranges, and northern Sierra Nevada Mountains in open, gravelly areas at elevations of 1,200 to 3,000 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces delicate white to pink or lavender flowers with distinctive recurved outer petal tips and purple inner petals. Growing as a small tuberous plant just 3 to 7 centimeters tall, it has a compact and diminutive form with intricate foliage. Its leaves are sparse, typically 1 to 3 in number, deeply dissected into 2 to 3 ternate segments spanning 4 to 7 centimeters. The plant produces slender fusiform to ovate fruits 10 to 15 millimeters long, characteristic of its unique bleeding heart genus.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Co-occurs with 2 species; distinguished by small size, 1-3 flowers, and short petal tips
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open, gravelly areas
Elevation: 1200-3000 m
California counties: Mariposa, Tulare, Fresno, Kern, Siskiyou, Ventura, Tehama, Trinity, Humboldt, Plumas, Yuba, Butte, Shasta
Outside California: to Oregon
Bloom period
Dicentra pauciflora blooms Jun-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Fumaria: Dicentra has matching pouched outer petals; Fumaria has lopsided flowers with one spur.; vs Geranium: Dicentra has hanging heart flowers; Geranium has flat 5-petaled flowers facing up.; vs Lamprocapnos: Dicentra is native California wildflower; Lamprocapnos is cultivated Asian bleeding heart.; vs Ehrendorferia: Dicentra has no leafy stems; Ehrendorferia has obvious stems with leaves.; vs Fuchsia: Dicentra has two-pouched hearts; Fuchsia has dangling bells with protruding stamens.
Frequently asked questions
Is Dicentra pauciflora native to California?
Yes. Dicentra pauciflora is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Dicentra pauciflora bloom?
Dicentra pauciflora blooms Jun-Jul.
Where in California does Dicentra pauciflora grow?
Dicentra pauciflora occurs in Mariposa, Tulare, Fresno, Kern, Siskiyou, Ventura, Tehama, Trinity and other counties, at elevations of 1200-3000 m.
What plant family does Dicentra pauciflora belong to?
Dicentra pauciflora is in the Papaveraceae family, genus Dicentra.
What habitat does Dicentra pauciflora grow in?
Dicentra pauciflora grows in Open, gravelly areas.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.