Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
3,900,320,713 visitors served.
forum Join the Word of the Day Mailing List For webmasters
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

hellebore
(redirected from hellebores)

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
hellebore (hĕl`əbôr), name usually for plants of the genus Helleborus of the family Ranunculaceae (buttercup buttercup or crowfoot, common name for the Ranunculaceae, a family of chiefly annual or perennial herbs of cool regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
..... Click the link for more information.
 family), Eurasian perennials with attractive palmately divided leaves and flowers of various colors. Hellebores are noted for their early blooming, particularly the black hellebore or Christmas rose (H. niger), with evergreen leaves and white or greenish blossoms that resemble wild roses. Hellebores and other species have been used medicinally but are highly toxic. Species of the genus Veratrum—which are also poisonous and medicinal and which yield an insecticide—are variously known as false, or American, hellebore and white hellebore; they are unrelated plants of the family Liliaceae (lily lily, common name for the Liliaceae, a plant family numbering several thousand species of as many as 300 genera, widely distributed over the earth and particularly abundant in warm temperate and tropical regions.
..... Click the link for more information.
 family). Hellebore is classified in the division Magnoliophyta Magnoliophyta , division of the plant kingdom consisting of those organisms commonly called the flowering plants, or angiosperms. The angiosperms have leaves, stems, and roots, and vascular, or conducting, tissue (xylem and phloem).
..... Click the link for more information.
, class Magnoliopsida, order Ranunculales, family Ranunculaceae.

hellebore

Enlarge picture
Green hellebore (Helleborus viridis)
(credit: G.E. Hyde—The Natural History Photographic Agency/EB Inc.)
Member of either of two genera of poisonous herbaceous plants, Helleborus (buttercup family) and Veratrum (lily family). Some are grown as garden ornamentals. Helleborus consists of about 20 species of perennial plants native to Eurasia; most are nearly stemless, with thick roots and long-stalked, divided leaves and showy flowers. Veratrum contains about 45 species, better called false hellebores, native widely to damp areas of the Northern Hemisphere. They have simple leaves and clusters of small flowers.


hellebore
1. any plant of the Eurasian ranunculaceous genus Helleborus, esp H. niger (black hellebore), typically having showy flowers and poisonous parts
2. any of various liliaceous plants of the N temperate genus Veratrum, esp V. album, that have greenish flowers and yield alkaloids used in the treatment of heart disease

hellebore
symbol of slander. [Flower Symbolism: Flora Symbolica, 174]
See : Slander


Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Feedback
Mentioned in?  References in periodicals archive?   Encyclopedia browser?   Full browser?
No references found
 
QI planted Hellebores from my wedding bouquet and want them to bloom on our anniversary on December 27.
Anyone venturing to winter open garden events should be on the lookout for hellebores in flower, bringing colour to herbaceous borders or providing contrast to snowdrops and daffodils in woodland settings.
ANYONE venturing to winter open garden events at this time of year should be on the lookout for hellebores in flower.
 
 
 
Encyclopedia
?

Terms of Use | Privacy policy | Feedback | Advertise with Us | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc.
Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.