false hellebore

[ fawls-hel-uh-bawr ]

noun
  1. any of various plants of the genus Veratrum, family Melanthiaceae, with highly poisonous black rhizomes, including V. viride, with clusters of yellowish-green flowers, native to eastern and western North America: now rarely used in medicine, the alkaloids from false hellebores were once used in a number of treatments, as for high blood pressure.

Origin of false hellebore

1
First recorded in 1855–60
  • Also called corn lily, In·di·an hel·le·bore, Indian poke.

Words Nearby false hellebore

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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