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Tokyo Food Safety Information Center » Good things to know » Poisonous plants easily mistaken for harmless ones » False hellebore (Liliaceae)

False hellebore (Liliaceae)

False hellebore is a perennial plant that grows even to one meter and blooms a greenish white bad smelling flower in early summer. Its smaller relative white hellebore is also a poisonous plant.

Characteristics

Habitat	It grows in the damp areas deep in the mountains and on high mountains.
Parts of the plant that may be ingested accidentally.	Leaves, etc. Because its fresh leaves are similar to hosta sieboldiana (urui), an edible wild vegetable, there is a possibility of accidental ingestion.
Symptoms	Vomiting, diarrhea, fall in blood pressure, spasms, etc.
Venomous constituents	Protoveratrine, jervine, veratramie and other alkaloids. Whole plant is poisonous.

False hellebore
False hellebore fresh leaves (poisonous)	Hosta sieboldiana fresh leaves (edible)