Bleeding-heart meaning : Any of various perennial plants, of the family Papaveraceae, subfamily Fumarioideae, often having pink heart-shaped flowers, including: Flowering shrubs, lianas, or small trees of the mint family Lamiaceae, in the genus Clerodendrum. The bleeding heart tree, Homalanthus populifolius, an Australian rainforest plant. A person who is overly sympathetic to the plight of the underprivileged, exploited or helpless, or to casualties of circumstance.