When we first starting hiking into alpine meadows decades ago, we would see hellebore clusters in the wet areas and it was just part of the alpine hiking experience. Another hiker told us it was “corn lily” and that it was poisonous so we steered clear. Over the years, we grew to enjoy the beauty of the leaf clusters as the plant rose from a basal closed shoot through its various stages right up to its tallest form, with dangling, flowering branches.

• Veratrum viride is a tall perennial in the lily family.
• The herb grows from a “short, stout rhizome” and unbranched hairy stems grow to 2m.
• Large, pointed leaves form above the base with smaller leaves higher on the stems. Leaves are smooth and ribbed on top and hairy on the bottom.
• The flowers are small, star-shaped, and yellow with green centers.
• The hairy flowers are found within long, drooping terminal clusters.
• Corn lily flowers in July and August.
• All photos taken by the author. Click an image for a caption, providing information on location and date and for a larger (lightbox) view.

• Hellebore is pollinated by bees, flies, moths, and butterflies.
• Seeds form in oblong capsules after flowering.
• The plant reproduces through rhizome growth and from seed dispersal.
• All parts of the plant are poisonous. A garden insecticide is made from the plant. It contains a concentration of alkaloids and can kill both humans and animals.
• The herb grows in wet meadows, by swamps, near streams, and in moist glades in lower elevations right up to subalpine meadows.
• Other names for Indian hellebore are false hellebore, Indian poke, corn lily, skookum root, and a few variations of these terms.
• From Wikipedia – ” The plant was used by some tribes to elect a new leader. All the candidates would eat the root, and the last to start vomiting would become the new leader.” (Count me out for any promotions!)
• An excellent account of hellebore’s use by traditional people of the Northwest can be found at this link – Skookum Root.
• A fiber from the stalk has been used for weaving wallets.

We enjoy seeing the emerging hellebore shoots in early summer when we hike into alpine meadows. The mature plants are tall, exotic, and somehow we inherently know it can’t be good for us to get our hands on the leaves. We will admire it from a distance.