Discussion

Helleborus Name Confusion

The painting subject this week is Christmas rose. A search for that name on Google returns a Wikipedia article for a plant with the Latin name of Helleborus niger, whose common names, it says, are Christmas rose or black hellebore which may be because of the color of its roots

It is an evergreen plant that grows naturally in mountainous regions of Europe. Its flowers appear in the winter through early spring and are usually white, though sometimes tinged with pink.

However, that is not the plant I am painting. Japanese language resources of mine from which I get some of my ideas for painting show a related but different plant with the common name Christmas rose. That is my painting subject this week. Its Latin name is Helleborus orientalis. Wikipedia has only the common name of Lenten rose for it. I've since found other English language sources that call it Christmas rose, too, as well as snow rose.

Hellebores are related to buttercups and are not related to roses. Every part of them is toxic, and if eaten in quantity, they can cause burning in ones mouth and throat, vomiting, abdominal cramping, and diarrhea. The touch of hellebore sap can cause skin irritation. Wild animals avoid them.

Helleborus orientalis also bloom in the winter through early spring. Blossoms come in a variety of colors including maroon, apricot, yellow, green, metallic blue, slate, dusky pink, and white. 

This one looks purplish, though its actual color may be metallic blue or slate. Note that in this photo, the leaves behind the blossom are the same color as it is.

Here is a look at entire Helleborus orientalis plants.

The blossoms in these photos look pretty similar to the blossoms in the Helleborus niger, the first photo above. One way to tell the difference is that Helleborus orientalis has a greater tendency to face somewhat downward.

This Helleborus orientalis has swollen seed pods.

Though not native to Japan, Helleborus orientalis or Christmas rose is hugely popular there because of its ability to bloom in the winter. It is widely hybridized to produce additional colors and complex shapes. This photo of a doubled Christmas rose blossom is an example.

This is another look at Helleborus orientalis plants.