XV. 



' HELLEBORUS FCETIDUS. 



Bear\s-Foof, SHnkinf/ Hellebore, or Setter-rvort. 



Class XIII. PoLYANDRiA. — Order III. Polygynia. 

 Nat. Ord. Ranunculace^. 



Gen. Char. C«/yA" of five persistent leaves. Petals eight 

 to ten, small, tubular, two-lipped, nectariferous. Peri- 

 carps or follicles nearly erect, many-seeded. 



Spec. Char. Stem many-fiowered, leafy. Leaves pedate ; 

 segments oblong-linear. Calyx converging. 



SYNONYMES. 



^Helleborus niger fcetidus. Bauh. Pin. 185. 

 Lathi -^ Helleboraster maximus. Ger. Em. 9T6. Rait Sijn. 2'J\. 



French . 

 Italian., 

 Spanish 

 German 

 Dutch . 



Helleborus fcetidus. Lin. Sp. PL 784. 

 EUebore fetide ; Pied de griffon. 

 Elleboro fetido. 

 Eleboro hediondo. 

 Stinkende Niesewurz. 

 Stinkend Nieskruid. 



Description. — The root is small, twisted, and beset with 

 numerous, slender, dark-coloured fibres. The stem is cylin- 

 drical, firm, naked, leafy, marked with cicatrices* towards the 

 base, much branched, many-flowered, and rises to the height of 

 two feet. The leaves stand on long footstalks ; they are dark 

 green, coriaceous, smooth, digitate or pedate, with numerous 

 pointed, serrated segments. The bractese or floral leaves are 

 membranous, entire at the margin ; the lowermost trifid at the 

 extremity, and tinged with purple at the base ; the upper ones 

 nearly ovate, undivided, and of a pale green colour. The 

 flowers are numerous, terminal, somev»'hat panicled, drooping, 



* These cicatrices or scars are produced by the falling of the old leaves. 



E 2 



