Helleborus viridis, commonly called green hellebore, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to Central and Western Europe, including southern England. All parts of the plant are poisonous.[1]
It was one of many plants first described by Linnaeus in volume one of the 1753 (tenth) edition of his Species Plantarum.[2] The Latin species epithet viridis means "green".
Two subspecies are recognised:
Other common names recorded include bastard hellebore, bear's foot and boar's foot.[3]
Growing to around tall, the green hellebore is a semi-evergreen perennial plant. The flowers appear in spring (February to April).[1] They have five large green oval sepals with pointed tips, and seven to twelve much smaller petals. The roots are rhizomatous.[4] Subspecies viridis has flowers of NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches) diameter and leaves covered with fine hairs, while the flowers of subspecies occidentalis are smaller (3–4 cm diameter) and its leaves are smooth.[5] The green hellebore is found in Western and Central Europe, east to eastern Austria and south to northern Italy.[6] It grows on limestone and chalk-based soils in the south of England.[1]
It has become invasive in North America, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, and northern Germany.[4]
Consumption of any part of the plant can lead to severe vomiting and seizures.[1]