Stinking hellebore

A glorious spring day here in Peterborough, so this afternoon Pete and I headed off to Ring Haw to see if the stinking hellebore Helleborus foetidus was flowering. This is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 80 cm tall and 100 cm across, with a thick succulent stem and evergreen glossy leaves.

It's one of the earliest of the woodland flowers, often starting to bloom in February. It is widely grown as a garden plant and has become naturalised in many parts of the country, but on the limestone soils around Peterborough it's considered to be truly native, with records going back well over 150 years. At Ring Haw in grows on the edge of scrub with an area that was formerly quarried for limestone, but which has ancient woodland adjacent to it.

The drooping cup-shaped flowers are yellowish-green, often with a purple edge to the five petal-like sepals. The flowers, typically for the buttercup family, contain numerous stamens as well as up to ten nectaries which make them attractive to bees and other insects. The foliage has a pungent smell when crushed, giving it its common name. All parts of the plant are poisonous, containing glycosides. Symptoms of intoxication include violent vomiting and delirium.

Although it was flowering, many of the plants weren't looking very healthy. This was one of the most attractive specimens, but getting the low angle shot I wanted involved lying carefully on the edge of arose-bush with a very strong smell of fox emanating from it (I didn't look too closely to check why!). When I tried to stand up again I found that I was completely entangled, and it took a few moments to unhook myself. The things we do for photography!