Floral Structure

• Flowers of hellebore come in shades of green, purple, crimson and white. Unlike many plants, hellebore lacks petals. Instead, showy sepals, usually five, provide floral color. Flowers have both male and female structures. In many species of hellebore, the sepals turn green on mature flowers and are active in photosynthesis, providing food for the plant.
  
  

Rhizome

• Hellebore plants have underground stems known as rhizomes. In some species of hellebore, the rhizome is thick, branched and deep-rooted, with most root activity toward the tips. In other species, the rhizome is simple and unbranched.
  
  

Vegetative Structure

• Many hellebore plants are acaulescent, meaning the plants are stemless. In this form, the leaf stalk and inflorescence are separate and grow directly from the rhizome. A few species, such as Helleborus foetidus and H. lividus, do have a stem and are called coalescent. Vegetative growth reaches a height of 12 to 18 inches. Leaves are leathery and are divided into leaflets.