1454 



HELLEBORUS 



HELLEBORUS 



HELLEBORUS (ancient name of H. orientalis, mean- 

 ing unknown). Ranunculacese. Hellebore. Hardy 

 herbaceous perennials, admired for their very early 

 flowers and also their attractive leaves. 



Erect, with large pahnately divided Ivs., the basal 

 long-petioled, the upper .sessile and sometimes reduced 

 to bracts: fls. large, white, greenish, red, piu"ple, or 

 yellowish; sepals 5, broad, petal-hke, 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.H. 7:432 (1877) and by Thos. Moore in 

 G.C. II. 11:431 (1879). 



All the kinds will tlu'ive 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 estabhshed, as they are very 

 sensitive to frequent changes of location. All the 



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1805. Christmas rose, Helleborus niger. (X3-3) 



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 

 Veralrum. 



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. 



A. Lvs. dying annually, thin. 

 viridis, Linn. St. scapose: rootstock creeping: 1 

 basal If. 8-12 in. broad, on petiole 6-10 in. long; segms. 

 7-11, oblong, acute, sharply serrate: fl.-st. hardly 

 exceeding the basal If., bearing 3-6 fls. and large, H.- 

 like bracts: fls. large, yellowish green; sepals broadly 

 oblong, obtuse, spreading: caps, about 4, as long as 



the sepals, transversely ribbed; style erect. Eu. 

 Naturalized in eastern states. G.C. II. 25:553. — Not 

 so much used as the other species here given. Var. 

 purpurascens, Waldst. & Kit. Differs chiefly in the 

 central If. -segms. being deeply palmatcly cleft, and the 

 fls. much tinged with purple, especially on the outside. 

 Hungary. B.M. 3170. 



AA. Lvs. evergreen, coriaceous. 

 B. Fl.-st. never more than once forked; fls. 1 or 2. 



niger, Linn. Christmas Rose. Fig. 1805. Stemless: 

 rootstock short, black: only 1 If. somewhat irregularly 

 divided into lobes, toothed on the outer half; petiole 

 5-7 in. long: fl-st. simple or once branched; fls. 

 very large; sepals white, or flushed with purple: 

 caps. 6-8. Rocky places, Eu. B.M. 8. Gn, 55, p. 13. 

 J.H. III. 51:591; 61:583. G.W. 10, p. 245. Gn.M. 

 8:279. G. 27:534. C.L.A. 9:288. Var. angustifolius, 

 Hort. (var. mmor, Hort.). Plant and If. similar, but 

 fls. smaU. Very pretty. G.C. II. 21 :85, and III. 21:19. 

 G.M. 50:933. G.W."2, p. 230. Gn.W. 23:45. Var. 

 altifolius, Hayne (var. major, Hort. Var. nidximus, 

 Hort.). Petiole reaching 1 ft. long: fls. the largest in 

 the genus, 3-5 in. across, and often several on same 

 St. Gn. 14:178; 48:6. G.C. II. 20:693. A.G. 11:63; 

 21:41. G. 1:6.57; 8:537; 11:395; 6:367; Var. 

 praecox, Hort. Fls. smaller than in type, from Sept. 

 to Feb. 



BB. Fl.-st. forked 2 or 3 times; fls. several or many. 

 c. Without lvs. on st. below infl. 



orientalis, Lam. Stemless; short creeping rootstock: 

 1 radical If., 7-9-lobed; segms. 6 in. long, 11^-2 in. 

 broad, acute, serrate in the outer half, pubescent, with 

 strongly raised veins beneath; petiole 1 ft. long: fl.-st. 

 over 1 ft. high, forked above, 2-6-fld., large, If.-like 

 bracts; sepals roundish, imbricated, white, purple 

 beneath and purple edges, spreading: caps, oblong, 

 shorter than the sepals, transversely ribbed; style erect 

 or incm-ved. Asia Minor. Gn. 47, p. 1.36. G. 18:79. — 

 There are numerous varieties of this beautiful species. 



Purple-fld. varieties of Ji. orientalis. 



Var. colchicus, Regel. St. purple-spotted, quite 

 glaucous: 1 If. to each fl.-st.: fls. 3-6 on a st., deep 

 bright purple, both inside and out. Asia Minor. B.M. 

 4581. J.F. 2, pi. 140 (both as H. atrorubens). Gt. 

 1860:293. Var. colchicus-punctatus, Moore. Fls. 

 deeper plum-purple, more glaucous, exquisitely mot- 

 tled inside with innumerable dark dots. Gn. 16:60, 

 f. 8. — One of the handsomest of all the hellebores. 



Var. abchasicus, A. Braun. Much like var. Colchicus, 

 but differing in having 2 or more lvs. to a fl.-st. Cau- 

 casus region. Gt. 1866:496 (as H. caucasicus var. 

 abchasicus, Regel). 



Var. atrorubens, Waldst. & Kit. Only 1 If. on a 

 fl.-st. glabrous, thinner in texture than in the rest 

 of the orientahs group: segms. narrow: fls. 2-4 on a st.; 

 sepals dark purple outside, greenish purple within. 

 Hungary. R.H. 1865:231. — A connecting link between 

 the viridis and orientahs groups. 



Var. rftbro-purpflreus, Hort. (H. atropiirpiirea, Hort.). 

 A seedHng of var. atrorubens, with bold fohage and 

 piu-ple fl.-sts. : fls. spreading, deep purple. Characters 

 well fixed and very handsome. Gn. 16:60, f. 1. R.H. 

 1884:564. 



Purple-fld. hybrids of the varieties of H. orientalis 

 are found in the trade under the foUowing names: Var. 

 elegans; var. iridescent; F. C. Heinemann, fls. very 

 large, imbricated, deep purple and mottled; Frau Irene 

 Heinemann, fls. rose-purple outside, greenish white, 

 with dark hues and dots inside; Gretchen Heinemann, 

 red-fld., strong gi-ower; Hofgarten-Inspector Hartwig, 

 fls. rose-purple without and greenish within; Apotheker 

 Bogren, rose-purple, very large. 



