A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Helleborus foetidus
Is a member of the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 80 cm tall and 100 cm across, with a thick succulent stem and evergreen glossy leaves. Flowering is in spring, usually on lime-rich soils. The drooping cup-shaped flowers are yellowish-green, often with a purple edge to the five petal-like sepals on strongly upright stems. The flowers, typically for the family, contain numerous stamens as well as up to ten nectaries which make them attractive to bees and other insects. Each flower produces up to five (usually three) wrinkled follicles. Despite its common name, it is not noticeably malodorous, although the foliage is pungent when crushed.
Native of the mountainous regions of Central and Southern Europe, Greece and Asia Minor. Found wild on limestone soil.
Spotted on Apr 15, 2012
Submitted on May 6, 2012
No Comments