About Helleborus foetidus L.
Helleborus foetidus L. is an evergreen perennial. It grows to 80 cm (31 in) tall and 100 cm (39 in) across, with a thick succulent stem and glossy leaves. Drooping cup-shaped yellowish-green flowers bloom in spring, borne on strongly upright stems. The five petal-like sepals often have a purple edge. Like other members of its plant family, its flowers hold numerous stamens and up to ten nectaries, which make the flowers attractive to bees and other insects. Each flower produces up to five wrinkled follicles, most often three. Despite its common name, stinking hellebore, it does not have a noticeably bad odor, though its foliage has a strong pungent scent when crushed. All parts of this plant are poisonous, as they contain glycosides. Intoxication from this plant causes symptoms including violent vomiting and delirium. Yeasts grow naturally in the nectaries of stinking hellebore. Their presence has been found to raise the temperature of the flower, which may help attract pollinators by increasing the evaporation of volatile organic compounds. This temperature effect was first discovered in this species.
