Scientific Name:
Helleborus foetidus
Pronunciation:
hell-EBB-er-iss FET-ih-duss
Common Name:
stinking hellebore
Family Name:
Ranunculaceae
Plant Type:
Herbaceous perennial
Key ID Features:
Leaves alternate, blade rounded and deeply lobed or divided into 7-10 narrowly elliptic leaflets, 5-15cm long x 0.5-2cm wide, margin serrate, glossy, pungent when crushed, petioles upright, thick and succulent; flowers drooping, cup-shaped, yellowish-green often with a purple edge to the five petal-like sepals in spring; fruit is an aggregate of 3(-5) wrinkled follicles.
Habit:
Arching
Form:
Mounded
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
0.4 - 0.7m
Mature Spread:
0.6 - 1.0m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Part sun/part shade, Filtered shade, Deep shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Humus rich, Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Attract beneficial insects, Ground cover, Group or mass planting, Perennial border, Spring interest (Caution: poisonous parts)
Additional Info:
Google. Compare to Corsican hellebore.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound
Arrangement:
Alternate, Spiraled
Texture/Venation:
Leathery, Palmate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Lustrous, Distinctive smell
Compound Leaf:
Digitate (palmate)
Colour in Summer:
Dark-green
Shapes:
Elliptic
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Cuneate
Margins:
Serrate
Inflorescence Type:
Cyme
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
0
Corolla Shape:
Campanulate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, Green-yellow, Purple
Flower Scent:
None, Fragrant
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar, Apr
Fruit Type:
Aggregate fruit, Follicle
Fruit Colour:
Green
Fruiting Time:
Jul, Aug
Additional Info:
Not showy
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green, Olive
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Crown rot, Fungal leaf spot (Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant, Rabbit resistant, Drought tolerant)
