Fumariaceae

Finely divided, fern-like leaves on herbs and climbers; bilaterally symmetrical flowers have one or two petals extended into a backward-pointing spur or pouch, giving the bloom its characteristic heart- or locket-like shape.

The spurred, heart-shaped flower silhouette, distinct from the regular, four-petalled blooms of most poppy-family relatives, gives the group its common name, bleeding-heart.

To check whether a plant belongs to Fumariaceae, compare the leaf arrangement, leaf type, flower symmetry, fruit type, and one distinctive marker together. A single feature can mislead; the family pattern is the combination.