Helleborus foetidus is an interesting plant to grow in a shady garden. Although 'foetidus' means fetid, or smelly, the plant as a whole is not unpleasant smelling. The leaves, when crushed or bruised, give off a smell that many describe as unpleasant or strange. 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 Blooms in late winter to very early spring; utilized for borders or patios in protected, shady spots; excellent for long, winter blooming display. Prefers partial to full shade; prefers organic-enriched soil; intolerant of bright winter sun and high temperatures. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: Fungal diseases are the main problem. This plant can spread through self-seeding. The NC Invasive Plant Council regards all hellebores as potentially invasive, although the threat is low. More information on Helleborus .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
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 pH
Alkaline (>8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect; Spreading
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Green; Purple/Lavender
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Alternate, palmately divided with 7-10 leaflets. Gives off an unpleasant smell when crushed. Basal or cauline, palmately compound, coriaceous, glabrous; petiloes elongate, peltate; leaflets 3-9, irregularly toothed or serrate.
Flower color
Cream/Tan; Green; Purple/Lavender
Flower value
Long-lasting; Showy
Flower form
Cyme; Panicle
Flower shape
Bell
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Many flowers, 5-parted, drooping, green flushed with purple at apex. 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. Blooms from February to April.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit detail
Clustered, green, fleshy capsules, long-beaked, surrounded by persistent sepals.
Stem color
Green; Purple/Lavender
Stem detail
Stout, rhizomatous or exposed.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
mountainous regions of Europe, Greece and Asia Minor
TOXIC ONLY IF LARGE QUANTITIES EATEN. SKIN IRRITATION MINOR OR LASTING ONLY FOR A FEW MINUTES. Possibly causing burning of mouth and throat, salivation, vomiting, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, nervous symptoms, depression.