December, 1911 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
Sea, 
‘The pure white blossoms of = Giscthas Rose are set amid a Theantent foliage of very ions dave grean leaves, ene an attractive eaten 
The Christmas Rose 
By Florence Beckwith 
Photographs by Nathan R. Graves 
maag||F1E Christmas Rose (Helleborus niger) is one 
4y44|| of the most unique of flowering plants, for, 
<44|| though delicate in appearance, it withstands 
the cold blasts of winter and even blossoms 
under the snow. In Devonshire, England, 
this unusual plant is called the Winter Rose, 
countries legends and traditions have been 
from generation to generation pertaining to 
In one legend we are 
and in many 
handed down 
“the Rose that blooms in the snow.” 
told that it bloomed in Eden and was there called the ‘‘Rose 
of Affection.” In Alsatia, where it grows plentifully in the 
mountains, the peasants have a tradition that it first bloomed 
in the snow at the hour of the Nativity, and in one of 
Grimm’s fairy tales this Rose is connected with the legend 
of the Christ Child. To Saint Agnes, the Christmas Rose, 
with its delicate white blossoms, has been very appropri- 
ately dedicated, and in some places it is called “the Flower 
of Saint Agnes.’”’ The numerous legends and traditions 
show that the Christmas Rose has been regarded for ages 
as an unusual plant and worthy of more than common re- 
gard. ‘To us it is particularly interesting on account of its 
blooming in the winter, but we also recognize the fact 
that it has beauties of its own which would attract atten- 
tion to a marked degree in any garden of lovely flowers. 
The leaves of the Christmas Rose are dark green, thick, 
leathery, irregularly lobed, and practically evergreen. They 
grow to about one foot in height and their rich, dark color 
‘not only makes a pleasing contrast to the pure white flow- 
ers, but they render the plant ornamental even in summer, 
when the plant is out of bloom. The flower stems spring 
directly from the root encircled by the clustering leaves. 
The buds, when small, are delicately tinted with pink on the 
outside, but the full-bloom flowers are of the purest white. 
As they grow older they turn first a pretty pink, then a pale 
green, remaining in bloom a long time and not entirely 
losing their beauty even with their change of hue. The 
blossoms are from two to three inches across, with numer- 
ous yellow stamens clustered in the center. A well-estab- 
lished plant will send up a number of flower stalks in suc- 
cession, thus prolonging the season of flowering, and a 
dainty pink bud often accompanies a fully expanded flower. 
The blossoms are peculiar in structure, the parts which 
we would naturally call petals being really only sepals. The 
true petals are very small, tubular bodies in the form of a 
horn with an irregular opening. These lie so close to the 
base of the stamens that they are very apt to escape notice. 
There are numerous varieties of the Christmas Rose, 
some with white blossoms dotted with red and purple, others 
