How Did the Bleeding Heart Get Its Name?

Bleeding heart is the name people often use to refer to the much-loved spring-flowering perennial garden favorite, Dicentra spectabilis. Although the pink-flowered form of the plant is the most common, there is also a white-flowered cultivar called ‘Alba.’

Bleeding Heart

• The bleeding heart’s common name came about from the blossom’s resemblance to a puffy pink heart with two drops at its tip.

Scientific Name

• The name Dicentra spectabilis is derived from the Greek "dis," meaning two, and "kentros," meaning spurs, a reference to the shape of the plant’s flower, according to the Canadian Gardening website.

Other Common Names

• The bleeding heart plant goes by some other descriptive common names, including "lady’s locket," for the flower’s resemblance to a jewel, and "lyre flower," referring to the fully opened flower, which is shaped like a small harp. Some call the plant "lady in the bath" because, when you hold the flower pointed-side up and press the petals, a white "lady" is exposed, states the Garden Design Unlimited website.