''Helleborus viridis'', commonly called green hellebore, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the buttercup family

Ranunculaceae Ranunculaceae (buttercup or crowfoot family; Latin "little frog", from "frog") is a family of over 2,000 known species of flowering plants in 43 genera, distributed worldwide. The largest genera are ''Ranunculus'' (600 species), ''Delphinium' ...

, native to Central and Western Europe, including southern England. All parts of the plant are poisonous. It was one of many plants first described by

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

in volume one of the 1753 (tenth) edition of his '' Species Plantarum''. The Latin species epithet ''viridis'' means "green". Two subspecies are recognised: *''Helleborus viridis'' subsp. ''viridis'' from Central Europe and the maritime Alps *''Helleborus viridis'' subsp. ''occidentalis'' from western Europe including the British Isles. Other common names recorded include bastard hellebore, bear's foot and boar's foot. Growing to around tall, the green hellebore is a semi-

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

. The flowers appear in spring (February to April). They have five large green oval sepals with pointed tips, and seven to twelve much smaller petals. The roots are

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow ho ...

. Subspecies ''viridis'' has flowers of diameter and leaves covered with fine hairs, while the flowers of subspecies ''occidentalis'' are smaller (3–4 cm diameter) and its leaves are smooth. The green hellebore is found in Western and Central Europe, east to eastern Austria and south to northern Italy. It grows on limestone and chalk-based soils in the south of England. It has become invasive in North America,

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, and northern

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Consumption of any part of the plant can lead to severe vomiting and seizures. Its purgative properties meant that it was traditionally used as a folk remedy to treat worms in children and topically to treat lice.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q149328 viridis Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of Central Europe Flora of Northern Europe