China's Flora Tour: A heart-shaped flower native to north China
By Li Yujun

Native to northern China, the Asian bleeding-heart has been a common garden favorite for many years for its pink-red, heart-shaped flowers with white tips.

Asian bleeding-heart is valued as a garden favorite. /VCG Photo

Asian bleeding-heart is valued as a garden favorite. /VCG Photo

Asian bleeding-hearts usually grow in a light shade environment, such as an under planting of open woodland or a spot on the rim of shaded garden beds. If the soil stays moist and cool, it will grow even better with full sunlight. 

Asian bleeding-heart usually grows in a light shade environment. /VCG Photo

Asian bleeding-heart usually grows in a light shade environment. /VCG Photo

There are several cultivars for Asian bleeding-heart, among them the"Gold Heart" introduced from Hadspen Garden, England, in 1997 is different for its yellow leaves in summer.

The "Gold Heart" has yellow leaves in summer. /VCG Photo

The "Gold Heart" has yellow leaves in summer. /VCG Photo

Asian bleeding-heart is called "Embroidered Purse Peony" in Chinese because of a famous love story.

In Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, there was a girl called Yu. She was very good at embroidering and the custom in the town at that time was for the woman to give the man an embroidered purse following an engagement. However, soon after, Yu's fiancé went to the army and there was no news of him two years. She missed him, and every month she embroidered a purse hanging on the peony. People believe that her purses have become the flower or the "Embroidered Purse Peony."

China's Flora Tour

From the wetlands along the coast to the dense rainforests hidden in southwestern China, all boast an array of plant species. In this series, CGTN will go on a tour to learn about some of the most representative floras in different provinces and see how they live in harmony with the local geography and climate.

(Cover image via VCG, designed by CGTN's Qu Bo.)

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com)