Common Name(s): | Bleeding Heart, Yellow or White |
Scientific Name: | Ehrendorferia ochroleuca |
Family: | Papaveraceae (Poppy) |
Plant Type: | Perennial |
Size: | up to 15 feet! |
Habitat: | Chaparral, Oak Woodland |
Blooms: | April to December |
Fire Response: | Stump Sprout or Seed |
White Bleeeding Heart or Ehrendorferia ochroleuca - This member of the Poppy family is a fire-follower and does not germinate without being exposed to smoke. The 2013 Springs Fire brought this plant back from seeds stored in the soil. After a couple of years we are unlikely to see this plant until the next fire. [Note: Saw large quantities of these after the Woolsey Fire!]
The flowers on this perennial herb are white with a beautiful filling of red - it is the two inner petals which are joined at the tip that have the red filling . All parts of the plant are toxic. The bright red color in the petal is a draw for Hummingbirds. This plant blooms well after the first flowers of Spring - May to to June. Look for this in the canyon bottoms of Sycamore and Blue Canyon (Pt. Mugu State Park) all the way to the summit of Boney Mountain! I saw this plant in late June while hiking in Upper Sycamore Canyon of Point Mugu State Park. Lastly, this plant is endemic to California - it grows nowhere else!Name Origin: This plant was named after Friedrich Ehrendorfer a 20th Century Austrian Botanist. Ochroleuca means yellowish-white. This used to be known as Dicentra Ehrendorferia but was changed during a re-classification.