Commonly known as
hellebores , the
Eurasian genus Helleborus comprises approximately 20
species of
herbaceous or
evergreen perennial flowering plants in the
family Ranunculaceae, within which it gave its name to the
tribe of Helleboreae. The scientific name
Helleborus derives from the Greek name for
H. orientalis, ἑλλέβορος
helléboros, from
elein "to injure" and βορά
borá "food". Many species are poisonous. Despite names such as "winter rose", "Christmas rose" and "Lenten rose", hellebores are not closely related to the rose family (
Rosaceae).