Hellebore

Growth habit

Herbaceous

Perennation

Long-lived polycarpic perennial

Native distribution

Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia

Source of plant

Heronswood

Description

Perennial to 40cm at flowering; rhizome and roots stout, base usually buried. Leaves basal, deciduous, emerging with or after flowers, erect, coriaceous, pedate with 10-30 segments, held horizontally to 17x3.5cm, apex tapered, acute, dark green above, puberulent beneath, margin coarsely serrate; petioles to 25cm, green or suffused dull purple. Inflorescence with apical leafy bracts; flowers 1-10, nodding or facing outwards, saucer to cup-shaped, to 5.5cm across, externally dark violet-purple, pruinose, internally same color or bright blue-green; anthers to 2.5cm; carpels 3-5, shortly united at base. Follicles to 2cm; seeds black-brown with small ridge.

USDA Hardiness Zone

5