Christmas rose / Velecvjetni kukurijek

Description:

Evergreen perennial flowering plant in the buttercup family. It is poisonous. It with dark, leathery, pedate leaves carried on stems to 23–30 cm tall. The large, flat flowers, borne on short stems from midwinter to early spring, are white, or occasionally pink.

Habitat:

Helleborus niger subsp. macranthus is found only in northern Italy and possibly adjoining parts of Slovenia. My photos are from the botanical garden of University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science and Mathematics.

Notes:

It is commonly called the Christmas rose, due to an old legend that it sprouted in the snow from the tears of a young girl who had no gift to give the Christ child in Bethlehem.