Veratrum nigrum L.
Family Melanthiaceae- Melanthiaceae

Status in adjacent regions. Included in the Red Books of Tambov (category 3), Belgorod (5), Saratov (1) regions.

Spreading.

An East European-Siberian-Central Asian species, whose range covers Central Europe, the Balkan Peninsula, West. and Vost. Siberia, Far East, northeastern part of Central Asia, Japan and China. IN middle lane European Russia is known from all regions of the Central Black Earth Region, as well as Kaluga, Moscow,

Penza, Ryazan, Saratov, Tula regions. In the Voronezh region: Repyevsky (environment of the village of Novosoldatka, ravine forest - VU: 1), Khokholsky (ur. Gremyache - VOR: 1), Semiluksky (environment of the village of Russko-Gvoz-devskie Vyselki, Tochilsky ravine; env. Semidubravnoe village - VOR: 2; 3), Olkhovatsky (western Kobizi urn - VOR: 4), Gribanovsky (near Verkhniy Karachan village) districts.

Description.

Perennial short rhizomatous herbaceous plant height from 75 to 100 cm. The stem is straight, juicy, thick. The leaves are large, broadly elliptic, entire, with arcuate veins, longitudinally folded; bare below, located mainly in the lower half of the stem. The edge of the leaf sheaths of the lower leaves is wedge-shaped, which distinguishes the appearance in the vegetative state from Lobel's hellebore (V. lobelianum Bernh.), in which it is slightly curved. The flowers are from dark red to black-purple (in Veratrum lobelianum Bernh. - yellow-green), on pedicels almost equal in length. The perianth is simple, six-parted. The inflorescence is a long, dense apical panicle. The fruit is a capsule.

Features of biology and ecology.

Blooms in the 4-5th year of life. Blooms in July-August. Nectar and a strong (but unpleasant to humans) smell attract various representatives of the order Diptera, mainly carrion flies and black blowflies, as well as beetles. The fruits ripen in September. It reproduces by seeds and, to a lesser extent, by vegetative means as a result of the separation of shoots during the decay of old generative individuals. Grows in deciduous forests, along forest edges, clearings, along meadow-steppe and steppe slopes, among bushes.

Number and trends of its change.

There is not enough information. It is necessary to conduct special studies to confirm the growth of the species in known locations and to identify new ones.

Limiting factors.

Haymaking, overgrazing of livestock, uprooting of thickets of steppe bushes.

Security measures taken.

It is protected on the territory of the Khopersky complex nature reserve.

Monitoring the state of known populations of the species, organizing the protection of habitats of the species in Repyevsky, Khokholsky, Semiluksky, Olkhovatsky districts in the status of protected areas.

Information on the conservation of the species in culture. Cultivated in the botanical gardens of Moscow (MSU, VILAR, GBS RAS), St. Petersburg (VIN RAS), Omsk State University, Chita (Trans-Baikal branch of the Central Botanical Garden SB RAS), Kirovsk (Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden-Institute), Tomsk State University, Barnaul ( South Siberian Botanical Garden of Altai State University).

Information sources: 1. Protoklitova, 1961; 2. Kamyshev, 1976; 3. Kamyshev, 1978; 4. Grigorievskaya, 2006; 5. Cadastre... 2001. Herbarium data - VU: 1. A. Krylova (1958); VOR: 1. Without manifold (1952); 2. S. V. Golitsyn (1934); 3. A. Fedoseeva (1933); 4. Kozyrkova, Bezmogarychnaya (1959). Compiled by: O. V. Prokhorova; photo: M. L. Zaitsev.

Hellebore

Lobel's hellebore

Lobel's hellebore. Veratrum lobelianum Bernh. Lily family.

Perennial poisonous plant, up to 1 m high. The rhizome is cylindrical, obliquely ascending, black-brown on the outside, with remnants of dead leaf sheaths and numerous white adventitious roots. The stems are straight, rounded, pubescent at the top. The leaves are alternate, stem-embracing, broadly elliptical, pointed. The flowers are greenish, small, in paniculate inflorescence. Blooms in July-August. The fruit is an ovoid triangular capsule.

Distributed in forest and forest-steppe zones, mountain forest and subalpine zones throughout the region. Grows in wet meadows, sparse forests, and subalpine meadows.

The plant contains resinous, sugary, mucous, tannin, coloring substances, organic acids, and a large number of alkaloids, among which protoveratrine is especially poisonous. The roots are richest in alkaloids.

Recently, the hypotensive effect of protoveratrine has been discovered, which is used to treat hypertension, athlete's foot and inflammatory processes. New ones received medications Loverat A, Loverat 2 and 3.

IN folk medicine used externally against neuralgia, gout; rheumatism, scabies and lice.

Hellebore preparations are widely used in veterinary medicine and agriculture as an insecticide. The drug must be used very carefully: when more than 1 g of hellebore is taken orally, severe agitation, salivation, sweating, vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes death occur.

Medicinal raw materials - rhizomes and roots - are collected in the fall and dried in a ventilated area. When drying, you should wear a bandage of four rows of gauze moistened with water, since hellebore (especially dry) can cause severe irritation of the mucous membranes.

Black hellebore

Black hellebore. Veratrum nigrum L. Lily family.

A perennial herbaceous plant with a thick vertical rhizome and cord-like roots. The stem is straight, 70-130 cm high. The lower leaves are broadly elliptical, narrowed towards the base, glabrous, the upper ones are linear-lanceolate.

The flowers are black-purple, arranged in branched paniculate inflorescences. Blooms from late June to July. The fruit is an ovoid capsule.

Distributed in forest, forest-steppe and mountain forest zones. It grows in pine, birch and fir forests, in floodplain meadows, on meadow, less often rocky slopes, in forest clearings, among bushes.

The plant contains steroid-type alkaloids, amino acids, vertramarin glycoside, sugars, fat, starch, triterpenes, resins, gum, dyes and tannins, and mineral salts. Of the alkaloids, pervin, rubinervin, verazine were found in the roots, and yervin in the leaves (Antsupova, 1967).

Use in folk medicine is similar to Lobel's hellebore. In folk medicine of Siberia (Utkin, 1931) it was used for headaches, a tincture of the root was drunk for pain after childbirth, or the dry root was eaten for the same purpose. The plant is used as an insecticide.

The plant and preparations made from it must be used very carefully, as they contain poisonous alkaloids.

Krylov G. N., Stepanov Z. V. Green pharmacy of Kuzbass. Kemerovo. 1979

Photo: . Zdoroviegizn.ru, Beauty-things.com

Hellebore is a rhizomatous perennial herb with a strong, erect stem. The thickened root is located close to the soil surface. Many thread-like processes up to 3 mm thick extend from it to great depths. The height of the ground part is 50-150 cm. From the ground itself, the shoot is covered with large sessile leaves, which are arranged in a spiral. The oval leaf blades have smooth edges and a pointed edge. Relief veins are visible across the entire surface of the leaf. Its length is 25-30 cm. In the lower part there is thick, felt-like pubescence.

Hellebore grass lives for more than half a century, but it also blooms quite late. The first inflorescences appear at 16-30 years of age. They are formed at the top of the stem. Yellow, white or greenish flowers with a diameter of about 1 cm tightly cling to the stem. The buds open in mid-July and remain until the end of summer. Pollination occurs with the help of insects or wind. In August, the first fruits appear - flattened seed pods with soft walls. They contain long brownish seeds.

All parts of the plant are poisonous. You should limit access to hellebore to children and animals, and wash your hands thoroughly after working in the garden. Hives should not be placed near the flower. Even if the bees survive, their honey will be unusable.

Popular types

The hellebore genus has 27 species and several hybrid varieties. 7 of them grow in Russia. The most popular are the following:

The plant is distributed in coniferous forests from the Caucasus to Siberia. The variety has medicinal properties due to the high content of alkaloids, mineral salts, amino acids and vitamins. Herbaceous perennial grows up to 2 m in height. The powerful stem is covered with large folded leaves of bright green color. Yellowish-green flowers are arranged in paniculate inflorescences up to 60 cm long.

The species can be found in alpine meadows or open mountain slopes. Used in folk medicine due to its high alkaloid content. This plant does not exceed 1.2 m in height and is distinguished by a particularly fleshy rhizome. The length of the lower leaves is 30 cm. Closer to the top they become smaller and narrower. At the top of the stem is a branched panicle consisting of small white flowers.

The height of the stem can reach 1.3 m. Large folded leaves at its base grow 40 cm in length. They are arranged alternately in a spiral. The apical leaves are grouped in groups of 3. Dark red flowers with brown streaks are collected in a paniculate inflorescence. The diameter of the corolla is 1.5 cm.

Hellebore reproduction

Hellebore propagates by sowing seeds or dividing the bush. Seed propagation is considered less effective and requires considerable effort. Fresh seeds without preliminary preparation are sown in October-November immediately open ground. The crops are sprinkled with a thin layer of soil and carefully moistened. In spring, the first shoots appear. Grown plants are picked up and transplanted to a permanent place. A distance of 25 cm must be maintained between seedlings. Young hellebore should be watered regularly and shaded from direct sunlight.

In regions with harsh and snowless winters, it is recommended to first grow seedlings. Seeds are sown in March, in shallow boxes with moist sand-peat soil mixture. They are buried 5 mm, covered with film and placed in the refrigerator or other cool place. After 5-8 weeks, the boxes are moved to a heated room. With the emergence of shoots, the film is removed. Seedlings appear unevenly, germination may take several months. Seedlings are grown in a greenhouse until next spring and only then planted in open ground.

In April-May, hellebore can be propagated by dividing the rhizomes. The plant is carefully dug up and freed from the earthen coma. It is important to maintain thin roots. The roots with shoots are cut into several parts so that at least one bud remains on each. The cuttings are immediately planted in a new place with a distance of 30-50 cm. At first, the plants need to be shaded and watered more often.

Features of cultivation

Caring for hellebore is quite simple. The main difficulty is finding the right place to plant. It is advisable to choose a partially shaded area. You can plant hellebore under trees with a sparse crown or near a fence that will hide the sun at noon.

The soil should be fairly light and well drained. Loams with the addition of compost and sand are excellent. The plant will not develop on acidic substrates. It is advisable to immediately choose the right place, because hellebore does not like transplants.

Hellebore needs frequent watering with small portions of water. Although it can tolerate droughts, it becomes most decorative with regular irrigation. The soil should be constantly slightly moist, but waterlogging is unacceptable.

To maintain decorativeness, faded flower stalks should be cut off. Shoots and leaves are not cut off for the winter. It is better to remove parts damaged by cold in early spring. Hellebore has good frost resistance, because it grows right up to the border with the Arctic. The plant does not need shelter for the winter.

Usage

Due to the large, corrugated foliage, hellebore looks impressive in flower beds or group plantings in the middle of the lawn. You can plant the plant along the banks of reservoirs. Against its background, flowers look more expressive. The best neighbors will become eremurus, phlox or gladioli.

A few decades ago, hellebore was used as an effective anthelmintic, diuretic and laxative. However, due to its toxicity, today doctors strongly do not recommend using drugs based on the plant internally. Ointments and alcohol tinctures continue to be used externally for seborrhea, rheumatic pain, gout, lice and fungal diseases of the skin and nails.

We continue to introduce you to the rare plants of the Prioksko-Terasny Nature Reserve.

Among the shrubs in the floodplain and in the upland oak forests along the Oka River, black hellebore is occasionally found. This is a large perennial, up to 1 m in height. From a distance the plant seems rough, but if you look more closely, the beauty and unusual rich color of its inflorescences captivate with their originality and dissimilarity to the plants we are used to.

Hellebore has a strong stem, a short fleshy rhizome with sparse underground shoots. The stem at the base is covered with sheaths of last year's leaves, with numerous longitudinally ribbed, folded leaves along the length. The lower leaves are broadly elliptical and hollow. Black-purple flowers are collected in large numbers in large racemes. The flowers are star-shaped.

This is a long-lived herbaceous plant, its lifespan is about 50 years, and hellebore usually blooms in the 16-30th year of life. Black hellebore blooms in July-August.

The entire plant is poisonous. Hellebores are poisonous to bees; when they eat hellebore pollen, they die. Black hellebore has always been used in folk medicine: an infusion of its rhizomes heals wounds and abrasions well.

This amazing plant can easily disappear when the land is plowed. That is why it is so important to preserve it in the reserve.

Photo by O. Kalinina