Helleborus foetidus Stinking Hellebore R DD N?
When I first found this plant in these woods, I noted where the big patches were in order to see them again the following year. Next year they were gone but rosettes appeared elsewhere. It is supposed to be a perennial but it seems to behave as a biennial or very short-lived perennial. It is sometimes found even at the roadside near Cilygroeslwyd in North Wales. It flowers very early and in a good year flowers can be found in January or February.
H. foetidus is mistakenly marked as rare in Stace in my opinion because it has been recorded from many parts of England in fact could be described as common. It is found in north and south Wales with a little in southern and central Scotland and a few sites in Ireland.
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| Helleborus foetidus |
Coed Cilygroeslwyd, North Wales 12th January 2005
Added on January 27th 2005, updated 5th February 2009, updated 6th April 2010