Helleborus x hybridus
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- hel-eh-BORE-us HI-bri-dus
- This plant has medium severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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A plant that flowers in winter has a head start in making it onto any plant lover's list. This perennial is one that can grow in Carolina gardens from the mountains and piedmont to the coastal areas. There are numerous hybrid selections and species available but are often difficult to distinguish, misidentified in trade, and each called lenten rose, a name historically associated with H. orientalis. Despite its common name, Lenten Rose is not a garden rose at all.
Lenten rose thrives in shade to partial shade. It prefers above-average to rich, well-drained soil with plenty of added compost. They are relatively drought tolerant once established, but do best with consistent moisture and are sensitive to soggy soil. Mature plants form clumps 2 feet tall and 30 inches wide. In colder areas, plants should be sheltered from winter winds. Flowers quickly push up from the ground at the first sign of warmer weather in late winter. Flower colors come in shades of rose, magenta, white, pale yellow, or green. Blooms can last up to two months.
Utilized this plant for border fronts, patios in protected areas, or shady spots in the landscape. Its leaves and roots are poisonous hence its name deriving from the Greek 'helein'= to injure and 'bora'= food. In 2005, the Lenten Rose was selected as the Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association.
Quick ID Hints:
- Flowers nodding, petaloid sepals
- Short plant with stiff, large, evergreen leaves
- Leaves are palmately divided into many leaflets
- Flower center of numerous stamens outlined by tubular nectaries, or fleshy , beaked capsules
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Fungal diseases are the main problem. They are intolerant of bright winter sun and high temperatures.
VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Annuals, Perennials, Vines, and Groundcovers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Shaded Patio Garden Wild Side- A Shady Garden
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Cinnamon Snow'
- 'Dark and Handsome'
- 'Double Ellen Pink'
- Double White
- 'Ivory Prince'
- 'Orientalis Red'
- 'Painted Doubles'
- 'Penny's Pink'
- 'Purple Ruffles'
- 'Royal Heritage'
- 'Silver Lace'
- 'Sparkling Diamond'
- 'Winter Delights Violet'
- 'Cinnamon Snow'
- 'Cinnamon Snow', 'Dark and Handsome', 'Double Ellen Pink', Double White, 'Ivory Prince', 'Orientalis Red', 'Painted Doubles', 'Penny's Pink', 'Purple Ruffles', 'Royal Heritage', 'Silver Lace', 'Sparkling Diamond', 'Winter Delights Violet'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Cinnamon Snow'
- 'Dark and Handsome'
- 'Double Ellen Pink'
- Double White
- 'Ivory Prince'
- 'Orientalis Red'
- 'Painted Doubles'
- 'Penny's Pink'
- 'Purple Ruffles'
- 'Royal Heritage'
- 'Silver Lace'
- 'Sparkling Diamond'
- 'Winter Delights Violet'
- 'Cinnamon Snow'
- 'Cinnamon Snow', 'Dark and Handsome', 'Double Ellen Pink', Double White, 'Ivory Prince', 'Orientalis Red', 'Painted Doubles', 'Penny's Pink', 'Purple Ruffles', 'Royal Heritage', 'Silver Lace', 'Sparkling Diamond', 'Winter Delights Violet'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Helleborus
- Family:
- Melathiaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Division
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Crosses between H. orientalis and H. odorus and H. purpurescens
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Deer
- Dimensions:
- Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 6 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Perennial
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Spreading
- Weeping
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
- Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- High Organic Matter
- Soil pH:
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12 inches-3 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Description:
- Clustered, green, fleshy capsules, long-beaked, surrounded by persistent sepals.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Pink
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Cyme
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Good Cut
- Long Bloom Season
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Winter
- Flower Shape:
- Cup
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- Five overlapping petal-like sepals surround a bell-shaped crown of yellow stamens. A stalked cyme or panicle, terminal, bracteated, often nodding; bracts gigantic, leaf-like, dark green, entire to sparsely toothed, +/- lobed. 1-many, usually greenish, tinted gold or brown, pink or purple, cup or bowl-shaped, nodding, 3-4" dia; sepals 5, showy, pigmented, broadly ovate-elliptic; inner petal segments numerous, consisting of tubular nectaries, green to greenish-yellow, ephemeral; stamens numerous, anther yellow.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Glossy
- Leathery
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Description:
- The leaves are divided into 7 to 9 segments with an umbrella-like shape. Tough, almost woody stems have leaves and terminal inflorescence on the same stem. Basal or cauline, palmately compound, coriaceous, glabrous; petiloes elongate, peltate; leaflets 3-9, irregularly toothed or serrate.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Stout, rhizomatous or exposed.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Patio
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Cutting Garden
- Shade Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Heavy Shade
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Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- Medium
- Poison Symptoms:
- Can cause illness if ingested. Both living and dried plants of all species of Helleborus are extremely poisonous. Plants contain a cardiac glycoside (helleborin), which acts directly on the heart muscle, causing convulsions, and delirium.
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- glycoside and saponin
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- No
- Poison Part:
- Leaves
