As its common name suggests, helleborus foetidus is a strong-smelling species, and uncommon, found on chalk or limestone soils, in open woodland. It can be distinguished from helleborus viridis (green hellebore) by its darker, bluish-green leaves and by the purple sepal edges.
Common name:
Stinking hellebore
Family:
Scientific name:
Helleborus foetidus
Main flower color:
Range:
England and Wales
Height:
Up to 80 cm
Habitat:
Calcareous woodland and scrub
Flowers:
Five green sepals, tinged purple along the upper margins, cup-shaped initially, spreading by the fruiting stage; no petals. Flowers are up to 3 cm in diameter, and form in loose clusters
Fruit:
Broad, green, hairless pods, each containing several seeds
Leaves:
Approximately palmately divided into narrow, lanceolate lobes, with pinnate veins and small, sharp teeth along the margins. Leaflets closest to the stalk are attached via a short arc, not at the same point as the rest of the leaflets
Season:
January to May
Rarity:
★★★★★
