Veratrum nigrum seed

LATIN NAME: Veratrum nigrum

COMMON NAME: Black False Hellebore

The black false hellebore is the tall, dark one of the wet meadow, and the dense spikes of the black-purple flowers stand above the big, pleated leaves. The tall, upright, clump-forming, perennial plant carries the large, broadly oval, strongly pleated leaves and the dense, upright spikes of the many small, star-shaped, dark purple-black flowers through the early summer, one of the fine, dark sights of the damp garden. The whole plant is very poisonous, and it is one to admire from a distance. It is a plant of the open, sunny to partly shaded, deep, moist ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The black false hellebore is a dark, careful subject of the plant science, and the pleated leaves keep showing up in the work on the alkaloid plants. The chemistry of the roots, which carry the steroidal alkaloids that make the whole plant very poisonous, has been studied at length, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the alkaloid plants, the toxic perennials and the members of the melanthium family. The dense, dark spikes and the big, pleated leaves have also made it a fine study plant, and the black false hellebore is a regular subject of the work on the dark, poisonous perennials of the damp world.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The black false hellebore is a fine, dark plant of the damp garden, grown for the bold, architectural leaves and the dense, black-purple spikes of the early summer rather than for the medicine chest. The whole plant is very poisonous, so the plant is for the eyes only, not for eating or touching without gloves. The big, pleated leaves and the tall, dark spikes give the fine, bold structure of the damp border, and it is one of the fine choices for the waterside garden and the damp, shaded border. It has been written about in the botanical and the horticultural papers for the dark spikes and the bold leaves, and it is a fine, careful plant of the open, sunny to partly shaded, deep, moist garden.

The black false hellebore is one of the dark, poisonous perennials of the damp garden, and the whole plant is for the eyes only. The big, pleated leaves give the bold structure of the waterside border.

To grow the black false hellebore from seed, sow the small, flat seeds across the surface of a pot of loose, free-draining soil, keep the pot in a cool, shaded spot and water gently. The seedlings come up slowly and grow on steadily. With the shade, the moisture and the deep, rich ground, the dark spikes will rise through the early summer. The plants are for the eyes only, not for eating or touching without gloves.

A superb, very long lived border plant, with strong spikes arising from leathery green leaves and carrying dark purple, almost black, star-shaped flowers. This superb lily relative will improve in stature and size over the years if planted in well-prepared ground.

For best results, sow seeds as soon as you receive them in a cool place onto a good soil-based compost.

Cover the seeds with fine grit or compost to approximately their own depth. These seeds can be slow to germinate, and as a rule they wait for spring before emerging whenever they are sown.