Dicentra uniflora
Steer's head, Steer's Head
(c) Whitney Brook Matson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Papaveraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Dicentra uniflora (Steer's head) is a native California herb in the Papaveraceae family, recognized by uniquely distinguished by single flower and long recurved petal tips.
Steer's head is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, high Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, and North Coast Mountains in gravelly or rocky areas at elevations of 1,000 to 3,300 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces delicate white to pink or lavender flowers with distinctive nodding blossoms, where the recurved tips of the outer petals extend more than half the petal length and inner petals have purple tips. Growing with a compact tuberous habit, the plant reaches only 3 to 7 centimeters tall, creating a diminutive and charming appearance. Its leaves are finely divided, with 1 to 3 intricate ternate-dissected leaves spreading 4 to 7 centimeters, each leaf complex and lacy in structure. The plant produces a small conic fruit 9 to 14 millimeters long, completing its elegant lifecycle in high mountain habitats.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Co-occurs with 3 species; uniquely distinguished by single flower and long recurved petal tips
Habitat and range
Habitat: Gravelly or rocky areas
Elevation: 1000-3300 m
California counties: Fresno, Nevada, Plumas, El Dorado, Mono, Mariposa, Shasta, Placer, Sierra, Tulare, Modoc, Tuolumne, Alpine, Butte, Lassen, Madera, Mendocino, Siskiyou, Calaveras, Glenn, Tehama, Trinity, Humboldt, Colusa
Outside California: to British Columbia, Montana, Wyoming, Utah
Bloom period
Dicentra uniflora blooms May-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 uniflora native to California?
Yes. Dicentra uniflora is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Dicentra uniflora bloom?
Dicentra uniflora blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Dicentra uniflora grow?
Dicentra uniflora occurs in Fresno, Nevada, Plumas, El Dorado, Mono, Mariposa, Shasta, Placer and other counties, at elevations of 1000-3300 m.
What plant family does Dicentra uniflora belong to?
Dicentra uniflora is in the Papaveraceae family, genus Dicentra.
What habitat does Dicentra uniflora grow in?
Dicentra uniflora grows in Gravelly or rocky areas.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Dicentra formosa — Pacific bleeding heart
- Dicentra formosa ssp. oregana — Oregon bleeding heart
- Dicentra nevadensis — Tulare county bleeding heart
- Dicentra pauciflora — Few flowered bleeding heart
- Dicentra sp.
- Ehrendorferia chrysantha — Golden eardrops
- Ehrendorferia ochroleuca — White eardrops
- Ehrendorferia sp.
- Eschscholzia androuxii — Joshua tree poppy
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.