28 THE LADIES' FLOWER-GARDEN 
5.— HKLLEBORUS ATRO-RUBENS Walds. et Kit. THE DARK PURPLE HELLEBORE. 
SpEcinc Character. — Radical leaves very emooth, pedate, paler | somewhat angular, bifidly branched ; sepals roundish, coloured. (G 
and shining underneath ; cauline leaves almost sessile, palmate. Stem I Don,) 
Description, &c. — This species is said to have rich dark purple flowers, becoming almost black at the 
margins of the sepals. It is a native of Hungary, where it grows in woods, and whence it was introduced in 
1820. It is probably only a variety of the preceding species. 
6.— HELLEBORUS DUMETORUM Walds. et Kit. THE THICKET HELLEBORE. 
Engraving. — Swt. Brit. Flow. Gard., t. 109. 
Description, &c A dwarf plant with green flowers, which have no pretensions to beauty, and which 
differ from the other species in having their sepals far apart. It flowers in March. The species is a native of 
Hungary, whence it was introduced in 1817 ; and it is propagated by dividing the root. 
7.— HELLEBORUS FCETIDUS Lin. THE FETID HELLEBORE. 
Engkatings. — Eng. Bot. t. 613. 
Specific Chaiuctbr. — Stem many-fiowered, leafy ; leaves pedate, very smooth ; segments oblong-linear. (G. Don.) 
Description, &c. — An evergreen plant with green flowers, which never fully expand, but remain in a 
globular form, with a strong purple margin to the sepals. The petioles, or leaf-stalks, are dilated so as to 
resemble leaves, and the real leaves appear like little fans stuck on the tip. It is a native of England, and grows 
abundantly in chalky soils, in thickets and waste places. 
8.— HELLEBORUS LIVIDUS Ait. THE LIVID HELLEBORE. 
Synonymes H. argutifolius Viv. ; H. trifolius Mill. 
Engravings. — Bot. Mag. t. 72 ; and our^^. 2 in Plate 7. 
Specific Character. — Stem many-flowered, leafy ; leaves temate, 
very smooth, glaucous on the under surface ; segments ovate, lan- 
ceolate. (G. Don.) 
Description, &c. — This is an evergreen plant with pinkish flowers, which appear in February, and which 
are more ornamental than those of any other species, except the Christmas rose. The leaves are in three leaflets, 
which are serrated on the margin, and those of the stem have sometimes a dilated leaf-like petiole, as in 
H. fcetidus. The species is a native of Corsica, whence it was introduced in 1710 ; and it requires a little 
protection during severe winters. It is also diflScult to propagate, as it has not the creeping underground stem, 
common to the genus, and it rarely ripens seeds. There is a variety which has the margins of the leaflets entire. 
OTHER SPECIES OF HELLEBORUS. 
The most remarkable is H. orientalis, the Hellebore of the ancients, which has not yet been introduced. 
