Western false-hellebore, a showy perennial, grows only in the 11 

 far-western States, where it is one of the largest herbaceous plants 

 of the mountain meadows and moist slopes. The confusion between 

 true hellebores (Hettebonts spp., of the buttercup family, Ranuncu- 

 laceae) and false-hellebores (Veratnom spp., of the bunchflower tribe, 

 Melanthieae, of the lily family, Liliaceae), is a very ancient one. 

 Greek physicians used the rootstocks of "hellebore" (helleboros) for 

 various purposes, but primarily as a remedy for insanity, and the 

 Greek verb helleboriao (literally, "to need hellebore") was applied to 

 a person who was losing his mind. These old-time medical men 

 distinguished two chief types of hellebore, black hellebore (Hette- 

 borus niger) and white hellebore (Veratrum. clbwri). It is not alto- 

 gether unlikely, however, that the Veratrum. of the ancient Romans 

 was Helleborus niger. To avoid confusion, it seems desirable to 

 restrict the English name "hellebore" to the plant genus now known, 

 as Helleborus, and to call the genus now known as Veratrum "false- 

 hellebore." The common name cornlily indicates the similarity of its 

 leaves and their stalk arrangement to corn; the name skunkcabbage, 

 no doubt, alludes to the general resemblance of the young plants of 

 western false-hellebore to the true skunkcabbage (Spathyema foe- 

 ticfta, syn. Symplocarp^s foetidus), which is a foul-smelling, broad- 

 leaved herb of the eastern United States. On the Pacific coast the 

 name skunkcabbage more properly applies to the ill-scented, swamp- 

 inhabiting yellow skunkcabbage (Ly&chiton c&mtschatcensis] , a very 

 close relative of the eastern skunkcabbage. 



Western false-hellebore occurs exclusively on moist soils in the 

 mountainous regions. It grows largest and is most abundant on the 

 moist and deep meadow soils, although it also does well on shallow 

 and coarse soils of moist or springy slopes and flats. Not infre- 

 quently this herb invades and dominates eroded, but moist, flats and 

 slopes, and in serious cases of depletion is sometimes one of the last 

 perennial plants of the meadow association to disappear. It ordi- 

 narily forms small irregular clumps and, as a rule, inhabits open 

 sunny sites. These clumps in some cases grow together to form 

 extensive patches, almost to the exclusion of other herbaceous vegeta- 

 tion. The plant is mainly a native of the higher mountains, being 

 most abundant above 5,000 feet elevation. 



The value of western false-hellebore as a forage plant for domestic 

 livestock is of considerable interest, as various early investigators 

 and collectors have reported it either as excellent, unpalatable, or 

 poisonous. However, the consensus of opinion now appears to be 

 that it is poisonous under certain conditions, and that its palatability 

 is highly variable. In Colorado the species is practically worthless 

 for cattle and only poor forage for sheep, but in Montana and north- 

 ern Idaho it is fairly good for sheep. The herb is little used and 

 rated as poor forage for both cattle and sheep in the Intermountain 

 States and the Southwest. On properly grazed ranges in California 

 and parts of the Northwest it is fairly good for sheep, fair for cattle, 

 and worthless; to poor for horses, with the use largely limited to 

 spring and fall. Sheep relish the young shoots, but like other classes 

 of livestock avoid the plant throughout the main growing season, 

 but graze it again after the foliage has been frosted and has become 



