PLATE XXVII. 



1. HELLEBORUS VIRIDIS. 



GREEN HELLEBORE. 



Tins genus contains planls of the herbaceous perennial kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Poh/amlria Fohjgynia, and ranks 

 in the natural order o^ MultisUiqiue. 



The characters are: that there is no calyx, unless tlie corolhi, 

 which in some species is permanent, be considered as such: the 

 corolla has five petals, roundish, blunt, large: nectaries several, very 

 short, placed in a ring, one-lealbd, tubuhir, narrower at bottom : 

 mouth two-Hpped, upright, emarginate, the inner lip shortest : the 

 stamina consist of numerous subulate filaments: anthers colTipressed, 

 narrower at bottom, upright: the pistillum consists of about six 

 germs, compressed: styles subulate: stigmas thickish: (five or more:) 

 the pericarpium consists of capsules (leguminous, beaked) compress- 

 ed, two-keeled: the lower keel shorter; the upper convex, gaping: 

 the seeds several, round, and fixed to the suture. 



The species cultivated are : 1. H. hjemalh. Winter Hellebore, or 

 Yellow Winter Aconite; 2. H.mgei; Black Hellebore, or Christmas 

 Rose; 3. H.virid/s, Crcen Hellebore; 4. H.foctklus, Stinking Helle- 

 bore, or Bear's-foot; 5. H. lividus, Livid Turple, or Great Three- 

 flowered Black Hellebore. 



The first has a tuberous transverse root, with many dependent 

 fibres, putting up several naked stems or scapes, simple, smooth, 

 round, from an inch or two to four inches in height, terminated by a 

 sin'de leaf, spreading out horizontally in a circle, divided imo five 

 parts almost to the base, and the parts simple, or divided into two, 

 three, or four lobes. Li the bosom of this sits one large, u])right. 



