RANUNCULACEiE 59 



following winter. The rootstock contains a narcotic poison of a 

 very fatal character. It is officinal. 



Calcareous sub-alpine woods and rocky, wooded slopes, as high 

 as the zone of Pinus montanus. January to April. 



Distribution. — In Switzerland only in Canton Tessin. It is fre- 

 quent in woods above Lago Lugano ; Carpathians and Central 

 Europe from Tessin to Roumania. 



If deep cultivation is given on planting, Helleborus niger seems 

 indifferent to subsequent treatment, provided it is not much 

 disturbed. Lifting and dividing should be done in July, when the 

 plant is strongest. Though garden specimens are often protected 

 by a hand frame before and during flowering, the Christmas Rose 

 sometimes suffers when removed from under glass, for though very 

 hardy the protection of a glass tends to bring on the young foliage 

 before its time. 



Helleborus viridis L. Green Hellebore. 



Plant 10-20 inches high. Radical leaves large, on long stalks, 

 divided into 7-1 1 oblong, acute, toothed segments, 3-4 inches long, 

 the central ones free, the lateral ones connected together at the base. 

 Flowers 2-4, large, drooping, yellowish green. 



Woods and hedges, especially on limestone, and about old 

 buildings in the plains and hiUs. March, April. 



Distribution. — ^Western and Central Europe (British). 



Helleborus fcetidus L. Foetid Hellebore. 



About 2 feet high, robust, with perennial leafy stems. Lower 

 leaves not all radical, but forming a larger and thicker tuft than in 

 H. viridis. Segments narrower, less toothed, and more shining. 

 Flower-stem about a foot high, with a large close panicle of droop- 

 ing flowers, of a pale green tinged with purple. 



Common in stony pastures, chiefly in limestone districts, and 

 sometimes in great masses on mountain slopes, such as those of the 

 Jura. February to May. 



Distribution. — ^Western and Central Europe as far as Styria. 

 Spread through France, but rare in England. 



Helleborus lividus Ait. {H. corsicus Willd.). 



This handsome species has prickly leaves divided into 3 lanceo- 

 late segments, and white or rose-coloured flowers with spreading 

 sepals. 



Distribution. — Mountain region of Corsica, Sardinia, and the 

 Balearic Isles. November to April. 



