| Botany |
The Rhizome As described under the top “species” the caulescent and the acaulescent hellebores differ in the production of overground stems. There are yet more differences in the rootstock. The rootstock of the caulescent species (producing stems) arises from the thickened and ligneous Hypokotyl and the lower part of the stem. It derives by the growing of axillary buds. Lateral roots develop along the primary root. The primary root of the acaulescent species (producing no stems) dies during the development of the seedling to the adult plant. Every year new adventitious roots develop at the recent lateral roots of the rootstock. Old roots are thick, succulent and often brown up to black colored. The fact that caulescent species cannot be propagated by division
is based upon the different rootstocks of these two different groups. |
The Flower The flowers of hellebores are botanically very special. In contrast
to other plants the flower is formed by the sepals,
which normally protect the flower, and not by the petals. The petals
have been transformed into honey leaves during the development of
flower. The honey leaves lure few insects, which
are busy at the flowering time of the hellebores. The number of
honey leaves reaches from five up to twenty but it can differ from
species to species and from plant to plant. The number of carpels of a flower can be as few as three and up to ten. On one flower the carpels of the flower get ripe before the stamens. Cross pollination is increased, although the Helleborus is self-fertile. |
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a = sepals
b = stamens
c = carpels
d = honey leaves
The color of helleborus flowers range from green, white and yellow to pinks and red. Only a very few helleborus carry a sweet aroma. One such species is H. odorus. The name is derived from the Latin word odorare: to smell. Flowers of the species H. liguricus also offer a pleasant smell. The fruit: The infructescence of helleborus is equal to how many follicles as carples were pollinated. The honey leaves and stamina have done their job after the pollination and decline during seed development. The sepals get green but stay at the infructescence until the seeds are ripe. Depending on the species the follicles can be grown together at the base. When the seeds are ripe, each follicle bursts from the top to the bottom and let the seeds out. The Seeds: Most species have bright black seeds which curve up to the light and are elongated. The seeds become matt brown or black when the seed coat dries. The number of seeds range from ten to twenty per follicle. There are also differences between the species. H. vesicarius, for example, has only one or two seeds per follicle. Each seed consists of the embryo and the nutritive tissue, called endosperm |