Hellebore

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

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Hellebore >

Helleborus is a genus of approximately 20 species (ongoing fieldwork may see this figure change) of herbaceous perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae, within which it gave its name to the tribe of Helleboreae.

The flowers have five "petals" (actually sepals or tepals) surrounding a ring of small, cup-like nectaries (petals modified to hold nectar). The sepals do not fall as petals would, but remain on the plant, sometimes for many months. Recent research in Spain suggests that the persistent calyx contributes to the development of the seeds (Herrera 2005).

Hellebores are widely grown in gardens for decorative purposes, as well as for their purported medicinal abilities and uses in witchcraft. They are particularly valued by gardeners for their winter and early spring flowering period; the plants are surprisingly frost-resistant and many are evergreen. Many species of hellebore have green or greenish-purple flowers and are of limited garden value, although Corsican hellebore (H. argutifolius), a robust plant with pale green, cup-shaped flowers and attractive leathery foliage, is widely grown. So is stinking hellebore or setterwort (H. foetidus), which has drooping clusters of small, pale green, bell-shaped flowers, often edged with maroon, which contrast delightfully with its dark evergreen foliage. H. foetidus 'Wester Flisk', with red-flushed flowers and flower stalks, is becoming popular, as are more recent selections with golden-yellow foliage.

The so-called Christmas rose (H. niger), a traditional cottage garden favourite, bears its pure white flowers (which often age to pink) in the depths of winter; large-flowered cultivars are available, as are pink-flowered and double-flowered selections.

The most popular hellebores for garden use, however, are undoubtedly H. orientalis and its colourful hybrids (H. × hybridus). They flower in early spring, around the period of Lent, and are often known as Lenten hellebores, oriental hellebores, or Lenten roses. They are excellent for bringing early colour to shady herbaceous borders and areas between deciduous shrubs and under trees.

Read about Hellebore in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Helleborus (ancient name of H. orientalis, meaning unknown). Ranunculaceae. Hellebore. Hardy herbaceous perennials, admired for their very early flowers and also their attractive leaves. Erect, with large palmately divided lvs., the basal long-petioled, the upper sessile and sometimes reduced to bracts: fls. large, white, greenish, red, purple, or yellowish; sepals 5, broad, petal-like, mainly persistent; petals small, tubular, furnished with claws; stamens many: carpels 3-10, sessile, forming leathery, many- seeded caps., dehiscent at the apex.—About 8 species, natives of Eu. and W. Asia. Monographs by J. G. Baker in G.C.II. 7:432 (1877) and by Thos. Moore in G.C. II. 11:431 (1879). All the kinds will thrive in ordinary garden soil, but for the best results use a soil of rich loam and coarse sand, with a top-dressing of rotten manure. A moist, well-drained, partially shaded situation is preferable. The species may be planted in shrubbery borders, and in rockeries, or if wanted for cut-flowers they should be planted in beds. An important point is not to disturb the plants when once established, as they are very sensitive to frequent changes of location. All the species bloom before spring arrives; a few mild days in December or January will bring out the buds and flowers of H. niger varieties, and the others are not far behind. White hellebore is not of this genus: see Veratrum. They are easily forced under glass. Strong plants should be taken up into large pots and gradually inured to a warm temperature. Blossoms may thus be brought forth at any time desired in winter. Propagation is best by division of roots in fall or spring. Gardeners prefer to divide the roots in late summer or fall, as this does not come at the flowering season. If seeds mature they will germinate well if planted immediately in boxes or in rich, open ground. Seedlings should bear flowers the third season. H. corsicus, Willd. (H. lividus, Auth.). Lvs. trifoliate, dirty yellowish green in color; lfts. broad-ovate, sharply toothed on margins. Blooms March to April. Corsica, Sardinia.—H. lividus, Ait, Under cult, a robust plant with thick, fleshy sts.: radical lvs. simple, cordate; cauline trifoliate: fls. 2 ½ in. across, dull purple-fray, tinged with green, nodding, in panicles of 6-&. Balearic sis. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Species and subspecies

Caulescent species

These four species have leaves on their flowering stems (in H. vesicarius the stems die back each year; it also has basal leaves).

• Helleborus argutifolius – Corsican hellebore
• Helleborus foetidus – stinking hellebore or setterwort
• Helleborus lividus
• Helleborus vesicarius

Acaulescent (stemless) species

These species have basal leaves. They have no true leaves on their flower stalks (although there are leafy bracts where the flower stalks branch).

• Helleborus atrorubens
• Helleborus croaticus
• Helleborus cyclophyllus
• Helleborus dumetorum
• Helleborus abruzzicus
• Helleborus liguricus
• Helleborus bocconei
• Helleborus multifidus
  • Helleborus multifidus subsp. hercegovinus
  • Helleborus multifidus subsp. istriacus
  • Helleborus multifidus subsp. multifidus

• Helleborus niger – Christmas rose or black hellebore
  • Helleborus niger subsp. macranthus (syn. H. niger major)
  • Helleborus niger subsp. niger
• Helleborus odorus
  • Helleborus odorus subsp. laxus
  • Helleborus odorus subsp. odorus
• Helleborus orientalis – Lenten rose, Lenten hellebore, oriental hellebore (N.B. most of the Lenten hellebores in gardens are now considered to be H. × hybridus)
  • Helleborus orientalis subsp.

abchasicus (syn. H. abchasicus)

• • Helleborus orientalis subsp. guttatus
  • Helleborus orientalis subsp. orientalis (syn. H. caucasicus, H. kochii)
• Helleborus purpurascens
• Helleborus thibetanus (syn. H. chinensis)
• Helleborus torquatus
• Helleborus viridis
• Helleborus occidentalis (formerly H. viridis subsp. occidentalis)

Other species names (now considered invalid) may be encountered in older literature, including H. hyemalis, H. polychromus, H. ranunculinus, H. trifolius.

Hellebore hybrids

Hellebore species and hybrids: Helleborus viridis (top left); H. foetidus (top right) with cross-section; flowers of various specimens of H. × hybridus, including doubles

A flower of H. × hybridus with olive-green nectaries visible behind the stamens

H. × hybridus in a garden

Hybridising (deliberate and accidental) between H. orientalis and several other closely-related species and subspecies has vastly improved the colour-range of the flowers, which now extends from slate grey, near-black, deep purple and plum, through rich red and pinks to yellow, white and green. The outer surface of the sepals is often green-tinged, and as the flower ages it usually becomes greener inside and out; individual flowers often remain on the plant for a month or more. The inner surface of each sepal may be marked with veins, or dotted or blotched with pink, red or purple. "Picotee" flowers, whose pale-coloured sepals have narrow margins of a darker colour, are much sought-after, as are those with dark nectaries which contrast with the outer sepals.

Recent breeding programmes have also created double-flowered and anemone-centred plants. Ironically, doing this is actually reversing the evolutionary process in which hellebores' true petals had been modified into nectaries; it is usually these nectaries which become the extra petals in double, semi-double and anemone-centred flowers.

Semi-double flowers have one or two extra rows of petals; doubles have more. Their inner petals are generally very like the outer ones in colour and patterning. They are often of a similar length and shape, though they may be slightly shorter and narrower, and some are attractively waved or ruffled. By contrast, anemone-centred flowers have, cupped within the five normal outer petals, a ring of much shorter, more curved extra petals (sometimes trumpet-shaped, intermediate in appearance between petals and nectaries), which may be a different colour from the outer petals. These short, extra petals (sometimes known as "petaloids") drop off after the flower has been pollinated, leaving an apparently single flower, whereas doubles and semi-doubles tend to retain their extra petals after pollination.

Interspecific hybrids

Gardeners and nurserymen have also created hybrids between less closely-related species. The earliest was probably H. × nigercors, a cross between H. niger and H. argutifolius (formerly H. lividus subsp. corsicus or H. corsicus, hence the name) first made in 1931. H. × sternii, a cross between H. argutifolius and H. lividus, first exhibited in 1947, is named after the celebrated British plantsman Sir Frederick Stern. H. × ballardiae (H. niger crossed with H. lividus) and H. × ericsmithii (H. niger crossed with H. × sternii) similarly commemorate the noted British nursery owners Helen Ballard and Eric Smith. In recent years, Ashwood Nurseries (of Kingswinford in the English Midlands), already well-known for its Ashwood Garden Hybrids (H. × hybridus singles, semi-doubles, doubles and anemone-centres), has created interesting hybrids between H. niger and H. thibetanus (called H. 'Pink Ice'), and between H. niger and H. vesicarius (called H. 'Briar Rose'). The gardenworthiness of these hybrids has still to be proven.

Gallery

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  19th century illustration of Helleborus niger

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  Helleborus foetidus has handsome, deeply divided evergreen leaves

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  The small green flowers of H. foetidus often have a purple edge to each 'petal'

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  The Corsican hellebore, Helleborus argutifolius (formerly H. lividus subsp. corsicus or H. corsicus)

References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Hellebore. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Hellebore QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)