• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Notes

Common Names

Description

Family Ranunculaceae

Herbs perennial or annual , sometimes subshrubs or herbaceous or woody vines . Leaves basal and cauline, alternate, rarely opposite or whorled , simple or variously compound , palmately nerved, rarely penninerved , with or without stipules. Inflorescence a simple or compound monochasium, dichasium, simple or compound raceme, or flowers solitary. Flowers bisexual , sometimes unisexual , actinomorphic , rarely zygomorphic, hypogynous. Sepals 3--6 or more, free , petaloid or sepaloid , imbricate or sometimes valvate in bud. Petals present or absent, 2--8 or more, free, usually with nectaries. Stamens numerous , rarely few, free; filaments linear or filiform ; anthers latrorse , introrse , or extrorse ; sometimes some sterile stamens becoming staminodes. Carpels numerous or few, rarely 1, free, rarely connate to various degrees ; ovary with 1 to many ovules. Fruit follicles or achenes, rarely capsules or berries . Seeds small, with abundant endosperm and minute embryo.

About 60 genera and 2500 species: worldwide, but richly represented in N temperate regions , particularly in E Asia; 38 genera (four endemic) and 921 species (604 endemic) in China.[1]

Subfamily Faboideae

Mostly herbs, shrubs , or trees . Leaves pinnate or palmate to trifoliolate or apparently simple . Corolla usually, showy, zygomorphic, the petals imbricate, posterior (upper or banner ) petal outermost in bud. Stamens 10 or 9 + 1 (diadelphous ), not showy. Pollen released in monads . Seeds with u-shaped line (pleurogram) lacking. [Carr]

Genus Helleborus

Herbs [subshrubs ], perennial , from tough, short rhizomes [rhizomes absent]. Leaves basal and cauline, basal leaf much larger [all leaves cauline], petiolate ; cauline leaves alternate. Leaf blade pedately or palmately compound or deeply parted [undivided], lobes narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate or lanceolate, margins sharply toothed [entire ]. Inflorescences terminal , 3-4-flowered cymes, to 25 cm or flowers solitary or paired ; bracts ±leaflike, divided , not forming involucre. Flowers bisexual , radially symmetric ; sepals persistent in fruit [not persistent], 5, yellowish green [white, pink, or purple], plane , ovate to elliptic, 19-30(-50) mm; petals 5-15, distinct , green or brown, funnel-shaped, ± 2-lipped, clawed, 4-8 mm; nectary in center of "funnel"; stamens 30-60; filaments filiform ; staminodes absent between stamens and pistils; pistils [2-]3-6[-10], simple , proximally connate [distinct or completely connate]; ovules several per pistil; style present. Fruits follicles [capsules], aggregate, sessile, oblong , sides with prominent transverse veins; beak terminal, straight, 5-15 mm. Seeds usually ± carinate . x = 8.

Species ca. 25: North America, Europe, Asia (in Asia Minor and Tibet).

Although other species of Helleborus are grown as ornamentals , only the green-flowered H. viridis appears to persist after cultivation. Helleborus niger Linnaeus (Christmas-rose) is a more popular ornamental because of its showy, white to pinkish flowers. It does not appear to persist away from cultivation; it was reported as an escape in 1880 at Sennet, New York, and in 1919 in Washtenaw County, Michigan (R. S. Mitchell and J. K . Dean 1982; E. G. Voss 1972+, vol. 2). Helleborus niger can be distinguished from H. viridis by its flower color and its simple, distal cauline leaves with entire margins.

Both living and dried plants of all species of Helleborus are extremely poisonous. Plants contain a cardiac glycoside (helleborin), which acts directly on the heart muscle, causing convulsions, delirium, and sometimes death . Poisoning from contaminated hay has been known to cause livestock fatalities in some areas (R. S. Mitchell and J. K. Dean 1982).[2]

Physical Description

Landscaping

Care: Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Provide well drained soil, rich in organic matter. Feed with an acid fertilizer after bloom . Keep roots cool with a thick layer of mulch.

Habitat

Biome: During the juvenile or non-reproductive stage, H. helix is typically a ground cover. The leaves of the adult or reproductive form are usually a lighter green, thick, ovate to rhombic in shape and have less prominent whitish veins. During t

Biology

Growth

Culture: Space 15-18" apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 6.1 • Maximum pH: 7.8

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Partial to full shade

Moisture: Water Requirements: Keep surface of soil moist, but not soggy.

Temperature: Heat Zones: High: 9 (>120 to 150 days) Low:1 (< 1 days) (map) • Cold Hardiness: High:9 (20 to 30 F) Low:4 (-30 to -20 F) (map)

Taxonomy

Notes

An accepted name in the RHS Horticultural Database.

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Helleborus

There are approximately 503 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

H. abchasicus · H. abschasicus · H. albus · H. altifolius · H. 'Andrey Glyn' · H. angustifolius · H. antiquorum · H. argutifolius (Corsican Hellebore) · H. argutifolius corsicus (Corsican Hellebore) · H. argutifolius hybrid · H. argutifolius 'Janet Starnes' (Janet Starnes Corsican Hellebore) · H. argutifolius large flowered · H. argutifolius 'Little 'Erbert' · H. argutifolius 'Pacific Frost' (Speckled Corsican Hellebore) · H. argutifolius 'Silver Lace' (Silver Lace Christmas Rose) · H. atropurpureus · H. atrorubens · H. atrorubens 'Spotted Fern' · H. baumgarteni · H. beugesiacus · H. biflorus · H. 'Bloash' · H. bocconei · H. bocconei subsp. intermedius · H. bocconi · H. 'Brandywine Hybrids' (Brandywine Lenten Rose) · H. brevicaulis · H. 'Briar Rose' · H. casta-diva · H. caucasicus · H. chinensis · H. 'Christmas Lantern' · H. 'Citron' · H. colchicus · H. corsicus · H. croaticus (Croatian Hellebore) · H. cupreus · H. cyclophyllus (Hellebore) · H. deflexifolius · H. dumentorum · H. dumetorum · H. dumetorum atrorubens · H. ericsmithii 'Sunmarble' (Hellebore) · H. foetida · H. foetidum · H. foetidus (Bear's Foot Hellebore) · H. foetidus 'Bowles' Cabbage Stalk' · H. foetidus Bowles' form · H. foetidus 'Chedglow' · H. foetidus 'Chedglow Variegated' · H. foetidus compact · H. foetidus 'Curio' · H. foetidus 'Frenchy' (Stinking Hellebore) · H. foetidus 'Geddington Mist' · H. foetidus 'Gold Bullion' · H. foetidus gold leaved · H. foetidus 'Green Giant' · H. foetidus Kurt's strain · H. foetidus 'Marlene' (Stinking Hellebore) · H. foetidus 'Melle' · H. foetidus 'Miss Jekyll' · H. foetidus 'Miss Jekyll's Scented' · H. foetidus 'Pewter' · H. foetidus 'Piccadilly' (Piccadilly Lenten Rose) · H. foetidus 'Pontarlier' · H. foetidus 'Red Silver' (Stinking Hellebore) · H. foetidus 'Ruth' · H. foetidus scented · H. foetidus 'Sienna' · H. foetidus 'Silvertooth' (Stinking Hellebore) · H. foetidus 'Sopron' (Stinking Hellebore) · H. foetidus 'Tros-os-Montes' (Stinking Hellebore) · H. foetidus 'Wester Flisk' (Wester Flisk Stinking Hellebore) · H. foetidus Wester Flisk Group · H. foetidus 'Yorkley' · H. foetious · H. fortidus · H. fumarioides · H. grandiflorus · H. graveolens · H. 'Green Dragon' · H. guttatus · H. hercegovinus · H. heterophyllus · H. heterophylus · H. hunfalvyanus · H. hybridus (Lenten Rose) · H. hybridus 'Candy Love' · H. hyemalis · H. ibericus · H. intermedius · H. involucratus · H. 'Jebb's White' · H. jourdanii · H. kochii · H. latifolius · H. laxus · H. lividus (Helleborus) · H. lividus corsicus · H. lividus dwarf

More Info

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Notes

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Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 5, 2006.

Identifiers

• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 709666

Footnotes

1. Wencai Wang, Dezhi Fu, Liang-Qian Li, Bruce Bartholomew, Anthony R. Brach, Bryan E. Dutton, Michael G. Gilbert, Yuichi Kadota, Orbélia R. Robinson, Michio Tamura, Michael J. Warnock, Guanghua Zhu & Svetlana N. Ziman "Ranunculaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 6 Page 133. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
2. Bruce A. Ford "Helleborus". in Flora of North America Vol. 3. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]