HELLEBOEUS 



BUTTERCUP OBDEB 



HELLEBOBUS 153 



10 to 20 pale green flowers with nearly flat 

 and spreading sepals appear in March in 

 a deltoid corymb. 



Culture dc. as above. 



H. niger {Common Christmas Base). 

 This beautiful and well-known plant is 

 a native of Central and Eastern Europe 

 and W. Asia. It grows 6-18 in. high, 

 with smooth leathery pedate leaves cut 

 into 5-10 lance-shaped segments. From 

 1-3 flowers, each 2-3 in. across when 

 fully expanded, are borne on a stem from 

 Christmas onwards. They vary in colour 

 from pure waxy white to a delicate blush 

 tint. 



Among the varieties of this species 

 may be mentioned : altifolius or rnaxi- 

 mMs, which has large flowers white inside, 

 tinged with rose outside, becoming deeper 

 coloured with age. The leaf-staJks are 

 also mottled with purple; cungustifoUus, 

 of which there are two forms : one, the 

 ' Manchester,' with leaf and flower stalks, 

 pale green and without spots, and numer- 

 ous flowers pure white throughout ; the 

 other, the ' Scotch,' a dwarf compact 

 plant with flowers pure white within, 

 slightly tinged with rose outside ; 

 Madame Fourgade and m,ajor are varie- 

 ties with white flowers, the latter being 

 partictdarly free flowering. 



Culture <&c. as above. This species 

 may be slightly forced by simply Ufting 

 the clumps and placing them in a cool 

 greenhouse for the flowers to open in all 

 their purity. The blooms are in great 

 demand with florists at Christmas time. 



H. odorus {Sweet-scented Hellebore). 

 This Hungarian species is about 18 in. 

 high, with pale green leaves veined with 

 white, those of the root stalked, pedate, 

 with 6-8 lance-shaped regularly toothed 

 segments. The green, sweet-scented 

 drooping flowers, each about 2 in. across, 

 appear from February to April. The 

 variety purpurascens is dwarfer than the 

 type, and has purplish-red flowers with 

 rounded overlapping sepals curved in at 

 the edges, and white stamens. 



Cultv/re Sc. as above. 



H. olympicus {Olympicm Hellebore). 

 A handsome species ' 1-2 ft. high, native 

 of Greece. Leaves digitate, pedate, or 

 palmate, cut into 5-7 linear oblong 

 smooth lobes with toothed margins. The 

 purplish flowers, with roundish sepals. 



and yellowish stamens, appear from 

 February to April, two or three being on 

 one stem. 



Culture dc. as above. This plant re- 

 quires a somewhat warmer situation than 

 the other species and does well in shel- 

 tered and sunny spots in the border or 

 rookery. 



H. orientalis {Lenten Hose; Oriental 

 Hellebore). — A fine species, native of 

 Greece and Syria, and growing 8-24 in. 

 high. Leaves much divided, and some- 

 what downy when young, and cut into 

 7-9 more or less lance-shaped toothed 

 segments. The large rosy flowers with 

 overlapping sepals appear from February 

 to May, two to six blossoms on a stem. 

 Several vigorous hybrids have been raised 

 by crossing this species with the white- 

 flowered H. rdger and the purple form of 

 H. odorus. 



Other varieties, often described as 

 species, are antiquorum, which differs 

 from the typical H. orientalis by its 

 smooth leaves, and white flowers softly 

 suffused with pink and grey ; and guttatus 

 with 5-7 white flowers on a stem, 2 in. 

 across, dotted with purple ; subpunctatus 

 is a form of guttatus, with white flowers 

 faintly spotted vidth green inside. 



Culture dc. as above. Lenten Helle- 

 bores are best seen to advantage when 

 left undisturbed for several years. They 

 thrive in a deep rich and well-drained 

 loam in positions that are fairly well 

 sheltered, either by shrubs or walls, from 

 keen cold winds. Among the numerous 

 forms, to which many fancy names have 

 been given, only those with clear and 

 distinct colours should be selected and 

 grown in large bold masses. The dull 

 dead purple kmds are often too smeary to 

 be attractive. A good mulching of well- 

 rotted manure around the plants every 

 autumn or winter will be of the greatest 

 advantage in imparting fresh food to the 

 soil, and increased vigour to the plants. 



H. viridis {Green Hellebore; Bear's 

 Foot). — A native of Europe, including 

 Britain, growing about 18 in. high, with 

 smooth, dark green leaves, the lower 

 ones fuUy developing after flowering and 

 cut into 5-7 narrow toothed segments. 

 The green flowers are 1^-2 in. across and 

 appear in March and April 5 or 6 at a 

 time on the stems furnished with palmately 

 cut leaf-hie bracts. 



Culture dc. as above. 



