POLYANDRIA— POLYGYNIA. Helleborus. 57 



The country people of Westmoreland, Scotland and Sweden con- 

 sider this as a sort of festival flower, going in parties to gather 

 it, for the decoration of their doors and apartments, as well as 

 their persons. The qualities of this genus are slightly acrid, 

 far less so than the foregoing or following, to both which it is 

 botanically allied. 



281. HELLEBORUS. Hellebore. 



Linn. Gen. 282. Juss.233. Fl. Br. 59S. Tuitrn. t. 144. Lam. 

 t. 499. Gcertn. t. 65. DeCand. Syst. v. 1 . 315. 



Nat. Ord. see n. 279. 



Cal. none. Pet. 5, inferior, roundish, obtuse, concave, per- 

 manent. Nect. more numerous, much shorter, in a circle 

 within the petals, deciduous, eacli of one leaf, tubular ; 

 narrower in the lower part; with 2 upright, oljtuse, un- 

 equal lips at the orifice. Filam. very numerous, awl- 

 shaped. Anth. terminal, erect, roundish, of 2 cells, burst- 

 ing at the edges. Germ, superior, several, from 3 to 10, 

 ovate, compressed, erect. Styles awl-shaped. Stigmas 

 terminal, roundish. Caps, [follicles) ovate, compressed, 

 coriaceous, keeled, beaked with the styles, opening at the 

 rounded inner margin. Seeds several, oval, at the edges 

 of the capsule, attached, in 2 rows, to a linear, double- 

 notched, deciduous receptacle. 



Fetid, rigid, coriaceous, nearly smooth, perennial herbs, of a 

 dangerously cathartic quality, especially the i-oots. Leaves 

 palmate, or pedate, or ternate, serrated ; radical ones on 

 long stalks. Stem leafy, branched ; in some wanting. Fl. 

 greenish ; or whitish, turning green in decay. 



1. H. viridis. Green Hellebore. 



Stem many-flowered, leafy. Leaves digitate. Petals spread- 

 ing. 



H. viridis. Linn. Sp. P1.7S4. Willd.v. 2.1336. FL Br. 59S. 



Engl.Bot v.3.t.200. Curt. Lond.fasc. 6. t. 34. Hook. Scot.\76. 



DeCand. Syst. «. 1 . 3 1 8. Jacq. Austr. t. 1 06. 

 H. n. 1192. Hall. Hist. V. 2.84. 



H. niger hortensis, (lore viridi. Raii Syn. 2/ 1 . Robert Ic. t. 9. 

 H. niger. Brunf. Herb. v. 1 . 30./. Cord. Hist. 1 02, 2./. 

 Helleborastrum. Ger. Em.976.f. Lob. Ic 680. f. 

 Elleborus niger adulterinus hortensis. Fuchs, Hist. 274). f. Ic. 



155./. 

 EUeborum nigrum alterum. Matth. Falgr. 561. f. Camer.Epit 



941./ 

 Consiligo. Tttni. Herb. part 1 . 164./ 



