Family: Ranunculaceae (The Buttercup Family) > Genus: Helleborus.

Evergreen Perennial.

Toxicity:

• Toxic to ingest. Sap may cause irritation.

• Toxic to Cats.

Common Names:

Dungwort, Setterwort and Bear's Foot.

Found in many gardens but wild to semi shaded areas of woodland. These one have proven perplexing as I encountered them whilst walking in an area of parkland near to where I live. They appeared with no others anywhere in sight making me wonder how they happened to arrive here. This location could be considered as edgelands as it is right next to a busy road, has a procession of pylons and various dens sequestered about the place.

Firstly, they do not stink. They do however have a smell best described as very earthy and at worst described at somewhat fetid (hence the foetidus). It’s not too ghastly so you can just rub a leaf and smell to help identify it.

There are in the region of 20 genus of Hellebore and this does not include the Lenten Rose cultivars Helleborus x hybridus which I will not be discussing here.

The Helleborus genus contains both evergreen and deciduous species but Helleborus foetidus is evergreen and forms clumps. A key form of classification within the genus is between those which have a stem (referred to as caulescent) and those that do not (referred to as acaulescent).

Leaves; Pedate.

Sepals.

Light levels.

References

1. RHS Encyclopedia Of Plants and Flowers.

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Mathew

3. https://helleborus.de/en/plant-facts/botany/

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellebore

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helleborus_foetidus

6. https://www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/home-and-environment/dangerous-plants