Common name: Indian hellebore, False green hellebore
Description: Species in the photo with wide lily-like leaves; no flowers on this date. Other species in the top image include Mountain arnica, Bracted lousewort, Arctic lupine, Western anemone and Sitka valerian.
Family: Melanthiaceae
Information: The leafy green plant is found in lowland to high elevation alpine areas. It commonly grows in moist areas such as streambanks, swamps, and wet meadows, as well as in open forests and thickets (Douglas et al. in Klinkenberg 2020). This plant is extremely poisonous and deadly (Pojar & MacKinnon 2014).
Photos:
1) Manning Park alpine area, elevation 1950 m, July 9 2020. Not quite in flower.
2) Mesic meadow just below the treeline, South Chilcotin Mtns. Provincial Park. Drainage from upslope areas supplies ample moisture. Approx. elevation 1750m, July 28 2019 (N. Hewitt)
Sources and additional resources:
Douglas, G. W. et al., in Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. https://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Veratrum%20viride. Accessed: 2020-05-12.
Identification and Characteristics in Coastal Plants of BC, UBC Forestry: https://youtu.be/wtmuSTLLsnI
Pojar, J. & MacKinnon, A. (2014). Plants of Coastal British Columbia: Including Washington, Oregon & Alaska. Vancouver: Lone Pine Publishing.
