Western bleedingheart
General poisoning notes:
Western bleedingheart (Dicentra formosa) is a native herb found in the rich forests of southwestern British Columbia. The plant contains the toxic alkaloid protopine and other alkaloids. This chemical is also found in the other Dicentra species. Experimental injection of plant extracts has caused poisoning and death in mice (Black et al. 1930).
Description:
Plants perennial, scapose, from elongate, stout rhizomes. Leaves (15-)25-40(-55) × (8)12-20(-35) cm; blade with 3-5 orders of leaflets and lobes; abaxial surface and sometimes adaxial surface glaucous; penultimate lobes oblong, distal ones usually coarsely 3-toothed at apex, (4-)10-20(-50) × (1.5-)3-4(-8) mm. Inflorescences paniculate, 2-30-flowered, usually exceeding leaves; bracts linear-lanceolate, 4-7(-12) × 1-2 mm, apex acuminate. Flowers pendent; sepals lanceolate to ovate or nearly round, 2-7 × 2-3 mm; petals rose-purple, pink, cream, or pale yellow, rarely white; outer petals (12-)16-19(-24) × 3-6 mm, reflexed portion 2-5 mm; inner petals (12-)15-18(-22) mm, blade 2-4 mm wide, claw linear-elliptic to linear-lanceolate, 7-10(-12) × 1-2 mm, crest 1-2 mm diam., exceeding apex by 1-2 mm; filaments of each bundle connate from base to shortly below anthers except for a 2-3 mm portion of median filament just above base; nectariferous tissue borne along distinct portion of median filament; style 3-9 mm; stigma rhomboid, 2-horned. Capsules oblong, 4-5 mm diam. Seeds reniform, ca. 2 mm diam., finely reticulate, elaiosome present.
Dicentra formosa (Andr.) Walp.
Nomenclature:
Scientific Name: Dicentra formosa (Andr.) Walp.
Vernacular name(s): western bleedingheart, Pacific bleeding-heart
Scientific family name: Fumariaceae
Vernacular family name: frumitory
Geographic Information:
British Columbia.
Toxic parts:
Leaves.
Toxic plant chemicals:
Protopine.
Animals/Human Poisoning:
Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.
Cattle
Rodents
General symptoms of poisoning:
Convulsions, death, drowsiness.
Notes on poisoning:
Postmortem examination of mice showed collapsed lungs, blue extremities, and a distended heart. Death was likely due to respiratory paralysis. The lethal dose from the crude alkaloids was determined to be between 2.5 and 5.0 mg for a 20-g mouse (Black et al. 1930).
