Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Liliales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Veratrum viride
FAMILY
Melanthiaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Veratrum from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Veratrum viride
FAMILY
Liliaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Veratrum viride
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26 (2002)
Veratrum viride var. viride
INCLUDED WITHIN Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Veratrum viride
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-24-001:
Veratrum viride FAMILY Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Veratrum viride
COMMON NAME:
White-hellebore, Indian Poke, Green Hellebore, Cornhusk Lily
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA Forest Service / A Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia. 1969 mpa_page_263
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_vevi_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm060521_068
May Macon County NC
Highlands Biological Station
)
JK Marlow jkm060521_071
May Macon County NC
Highlands Biological Station
Heavily ribbed oval leaves up to 12" long, sessile or somewhat clasping, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
Kevin Adams kcaveratrumviride_37
May Yancey County NC
Mount Mitchell State Park
)
JK Marlow jkm100626_156
June Avery County NC
The Roan Highlands
Flowers have ciliate margins, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
Keith Bradley kab_veratrum_viride_0215
June Avery County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Tepals lanceolate to oblong-elliptic, narrowed to short broad claw, per Flora of North America.
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmvviride_mm
June Yancey County NC
Mount Mitchell
)
JK Marlow jkm0507g_19
July Pocahontas County WV
Cranberry Glades Botanical Area
Inflorescence branches ascending to spreading, per Weakley's Flora (2020).
)
JK Marlow jkm0507g_25
July Pocahontas County WV
Cranberry Glades Botanical Area
Fruit a 3-chambered green capsule, per Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011).
)
JK Marlow jkm070702_152
July Pocahontas County WV
Cranberry Glades Botanical Area
This plant is strongly poisonous; an insecticide was formerly manufactured from the roots, per Weakley's Flora (2023).
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmvviride_gf
Month Unknown Avery County NC
Grandfather Mountain
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Veratrum viride
FAMILY
Melanthiaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Veratrum viride
FAMILY
Liliaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Veratrum viride
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26
Veratrum viride var. viride
INCLUDED WITHIN
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Veratrum viride
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-24-001:
Veratrum viride
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Veratrum viride
1593
Forb
Perennial
Polygamous
Habitat: seeps, streambanks, wet boulderfields, per Weakley's Flora
Native to North Carolina & Georgia
Common in NC Mountains, rare in GA
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Summer
Yellowish-green/ Green/ Maroon
Radially symmetrical
6 tepals
6 stamens
Bisexual, or some proximal ones staminate
Inflorescence a panicle
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p346
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p421
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p459
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p033
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p394
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p371
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p463
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p015
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".