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Helleborus niger

Black Hellebore · Christmas Rose · Black Helleborus

Family RanunculaceaeGenus Helleborus

A single white five-petalled flower with a dense ring of yellow stamens above dark leathery leaves
FlowerDominicus Johannes BergsmaCC BY-SA 4.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
Ground Cover, Herbaceous PerennialExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Habit
perennialPlants of the World Online
Height
0.8-1 ft25-30 cmExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Spread
1-1.5 ft30-45 cmExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Flower
Pink, WhiteExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Blooms
Spring, WinterExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Native range
Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, NW. Balkan Pen., SwitzerlandGBIF Backbone Taxonomy
Hardiness zones
3-8Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Growing conditions

Sun
Dappled Sunlight; Deep shade; Partial ShadeExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil
High Organic MatterExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0)Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Moisture
Good Drainage, Occasionally DryExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension; Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • Not a rose. By an old legend it sprouted in the snow from the tears of a girl who had no gift for the Christ child in Bethlehem, hence Christmas rose. Wikipedia: Helleborus niger

This source reports two treatments. Both are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around November 3, 2026 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

about 3 months from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2, in 63 days.

93% germination in 63 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Helleborus p. 151Public domain
Show the original text
Helleborus (Ranunculaceae). - H. niger germ. 70-40(93% in 9th w) and 40-70-40(19%)-70(25% in 2 d)- 40(44%). The 25% germination at 70 may have begun at 40.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Helleborus p. 151. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 21, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on March 20, 2026.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  3. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

    19 germinated in this phase.

  4. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

    25 germinated in this phase.

  5. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

about 12 months from start to step 5. Germination happens during step 5; time not stated, 21 days assumed.

44% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Helleborus p. 151Public domain
Show the original text
Helleborus (Ranunculaceae). - H. niger germ. 70-40(93% in 9th w) and 40-70-40(19%)-70(25% in 2 d)- 40(44%). The 25% germination at 70 may have begun at 40.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Helleborus p. 151. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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