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Veratrum californicum

Common name:	California False Hellebore	Family:	Melanthiaceae
Author:	Durand.	Botanical references:	60, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	All parts of the plant are highly poisonous[155, 200]. The flowers are poisonous to insects, including bees[155].
Range:	South-western N. America.
Habitat:	Swamps, creek bottoms, moist woodlands and meadows, from lowland to the sub-alpine zone[60].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	V. album[B,E,G,H,HPIC,HORTIPLEX,L,P] V. lobelianium[H] V. lobelianum[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Beyazcopleme [E], California False Hellebore [B,S,P], Div Oh Savva [E], European False Hellebore [P], False Hellebore [E,S], False Hellebore, California [S], False Hellebore, Green Hellebore, & quot Skunk Cabbage& quot [S], False Helleborine [L], Hellebore, False [S], Hellebore,White [E], Vedegambre [E], Western False Hellebore [S], White False Hellebore [B], White Hellebore [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	vera = true
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Britain Egypt Spain Turkey Us Us(Amerindian) Us(Fl) Us(Shoshone) Ussr
Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds	From USDA PLANTS database, Weeds Australia , DEFRA Injurious Weeds
	Listed as noxious/invasive for: USA Invasive.

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 2.5m by 0.6m . It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower from August to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies and Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies). We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Analgesic Contraceptive Disinfectant Febrifuge Poultice Salve.

Although a very poisonous plant, California false hellebore was often employed medicinally by a number of native North American Indian tribes who used it mainly as an external application to treat wounds etc[257]. It also had quite a reputation as a contraceptive[257]. It is little, if at all, used in modern herbalism. Any use of this plant, especially internal use, should be carried out with great care and preferably only under the supervision of a qualified practitioner.
The root is analgesic, disinfectant and febrifuge[257]. A decoction has been used in the treatment of venereal disease[257]. The roots have been grated then chewed and the juice swallowed as a treatment for colds[257]. A poultice of the mashed raw root has been used as a treatment for rheumatism, boils, sores, cuts, swellings and burns[257]. The dried and ground up root has been used as a dressing on bruises and sores[257]. A poultice of the chewed root has been applied to rattlesnake bites to draw out the poison[257]. The powdered root has been rubbed on the face to allay the pain of toothache[257].
A decoction of the root has been taken orally by both men and women as a contraceptive[61, 257]. A dose of one teaspoon of this decoction three times a day for three weeks is said to ensure permanent sterility in women[207, 254].

Other Uses

Insecticide.

The dried and powdered root is used as an insecticide and a parasiticide[172]. It is also effective against caterpillars and mammals so great caution is advised[1, 19, 20].

Cultivation details

Requires a deep fertile moisture retentive humus-rich soil[200]. Succeeds in full sun if the soil does not dry out but prefers a position in semi-shade[200]. Dislikes dry soils[42]. Grows best in a cool woodland garden or a north facing border[42].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].
Plants are long-lived and can be left in the same position for years without attention[233].

Propagation

Unless stored in damp sand at around 4° c the seed has a short viability[200]. Where possible it is best to sow the seed in a lightly shaded position in the greenhouse as soon as it is ripe[200]. Stored seed needs to be stratified but can be very slow to germinate. Germination can be erratic even for seed sown when it was fresh, it usually takes place within 3 - 12 months at 15° c but can be much longer[200]. The plant produces just one seedleaf in its first year, this forms an over-wintering bulb. It takes up to 10 years for the plant to reach maturity[200]. Sow the seed thinly so there is no need to thin or transplant them, and grow the seedlings on undisturbed in the pot for their first two years of growth. Apply a liquid feed at intervals through the growing season to ensure the plants do not become nutrient deficient. At the end of the second year plant out the dormant plants into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for a further year or two before planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer.
Division in March/April or in October. Establish the plants in pots in a shaded frame before planting them out[200]. Division is best carried out in the autumn because the plants come into growth very early in the spring[233].
Root cuttings, 6mm long with a bud, rooted in a sandy soil in a cold frame[200].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] SW USA Dist. Maps from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Veratrum album (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A& M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for veratrum album (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

References for veratrum californicum (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures
[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[19] Stary. F. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn 1983 ISBN 0-600-35666-3
Not very comprehensive, but easy reading.

[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.

[42] Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938
Rather dated now, but an immense work on bulbs for temperate zones and how to grow them. Three large volumes.

[60] Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955
A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[155] Arnberger. L. P. Flowers of the Southwest Mountains. Southwestern Monuments Ass. 1968
A lovely little pocket guide to wild plants in the southern Rockies of America.

[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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