Greek di—twice, kentron—spur, referring to the paired floral spurs.
Hairless perennial herbs. Leaves alternate or basal. Flowers terminal, laterally flattened, pendulous, mostly pink to purple, rarely yellow. Flower stalks often with bracteoles. Stamens mostly fused below the anthers. Stigma with 4 crests. Pollination is by bees searching for nectar in the flower pouches. Fruit an oblong or linear capsule.
Dicentra eximia (Ker Gawl.) Torr. from N America is occasionally sold; it has flowers with the inner petals protruding; the flowers are pinkish purple and there is a white cultivar 'Alba' possibly best referred to 'Snowdrift'.
Seed or division.
Style persistent on fruit; flowers laterally flattened, often heart-shaped, closed at the top.
About 10 species from Asia and North America.
Stern (1961).
Source: (1997). Fumariaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 2. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 1. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.
