Young false hellebore photo by Lindsey (Flickr user eccentric virgo), Creative Commons 2.0.
Every spring the Northern New England Poison Center manages a number of poisonings resulting from foragers eating false hellebore by mistake, and we’ve seeing a particular spike in cases this year. Most of these patients end up in the hospital for evaluation and treatment. Many end up needing heart medications for hours or even days.
False hellebore (Veratrum viride) is a highly poisonous plant that can be mistaken for a prized wild edible, the wild leek, or ramp (Allium tricoccum). False hellebore grows wildly in wet soil throughout our region, often in the same areas as ramps, and the two can look especially similar early in the season. False hellebore grows 2-8 feet tall with a thick green stem, large, ribbed leaves and hairy, star-shaped flowers. Ramps, on the other hand, do not have ribbed leaves, and they have an onion-like smell.
Visit our false hellebore A-Z page for more information.
