WorldFloraDB - Helleborus niger

Characteristics

A perennial plant. It grows 30-45 cm high and is the same width. It forms clumps. The leaves are dark green and leathery. They are 20 cm long and have 5-9 broad leaflets. These have teeth around the edge. The flowers are saucer shaped and white with yellow stamens. The leaflets are toothed and dark green.

More

Called Christmas rose because it flowers so early, is widely cultivated and may escape. It has entire bracts and white to pale purple fls.

Life form

perennial

Growth form

herb

Growth support

-

Foliage retention

evergreen

Sexuality

hermaphrodite

Pollination

entomogamy

Spread

barochory myrmecochory

Mature width (meter)

0.1 - 0.5

Mature height (meter)

0.25 - 0.48

Root system

rhizome

Rooting depth (meter)

-

Root diameter (meter)

-

Flower color

Blooming months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Fruit color

-

Fruiting months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Nitrogen fixer

-

Photosynthetic pathway

c3

Environment

Woods and thickets, mainly in mountains, on calcareous soils. Sometimes also found in grassland.

More

It is a temperate plant. It is frost hardy. It suits hardiness zones 3-9.

Light
Soil humidity
Soil texture
Soil acidity
Soil nutriment
Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

The starch of the root is used for extending bread flour, after removing the bitter element. Caution: It contains alkaloids and should only be used very sparingly especially by pregnant women.

Uses	environmental use medicinal ornamental poison
Edible	roots
Therapeutic use	Abortifacient agents (rhizome), Anesthetics, local (rhizome), Anthelmintics (rhizome), Cardiotonic agents (rhizome), Cardiovascular diseases (rhizome), Cathartics (rhizome), Diuretics (rhizome), Menstruation-inducing agents (rhizome), Narcotics (rhizome), Skin diseases (rhizome), Antiperiodic (rhizome), Anthelmintics (root), Cathartics (root), Insecticides (root), Jaundice (root), Menstruation-inducing agents (root), Antiperiodic (root), Anthelmintics (stem), Cancer (unspecified), Cardiac (unspecified), Cardiotonic (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified), Emmenagogue (unspecified), Hydragogue (unspecified), Poison (unspecified), Cardiostimulant (unspecified), Narcotic (unspecified), Rodenticide (unspecified), Cathartic (unspecified), Mydriatic (unspecified), Nervine (unspecified), Anesthesia (unspecified), Anti-inflammatory agents (unspecified), Antirheumatic agents (unspecified), Cardiotonic agents (unspecified), Cholesterol (unspecified), Dental caries (unspecified), Diabetes mellitus (unspecified), Diuretics (unspecified), Heart diseases (unspecified)
Human toxicity	very strong toxic (aerial)
Animal toxicity	very strong toxic (aerial)

Cultivation

Plants are grown by seed. It can be grown by division.

Mode	divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days)	42
Germination temperacture (C°)	21
Germination luminosity	-
Germination treatment	soaking
Minimum temperature (C°)	-18
Optimum temperature (C°)	-
Size	-
Vigor	-
Productivity	-