Commonly known as hellebores (), the Eurasian genus Helleborus consists of 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. Despite names such as "winter rose", "Christmas rose" and "Lenten rose", hellebores are not closely related to the rose family (Rosaceae). Many hellebore species are poisonous. Description The flowers have five petal-like sepals surrounding a ring of small, cup-like nectaries which are actually petals modified to hold nectar. The sepals do not fall as petals would, but remain on the plant, sometimes for many months. Recent research in Spain suggests that the persistence of the sepals contributes to the development of the seeds. Taxonomy The genus was established by Carl Linnaeus in volume one of his Species Plantarum in 1753. The scientific name Helleborus could derive from the Ancient Greek word (), the common name for H. orientalis, constructed from (, "to injure") and (), "food.". It is also possibly from Greek, ἄλκη “fawn”, βιβρώσκω (bibrṓskō, “to eat”). Species and subspecies Twenty-two species are recognised and divided into six sections. The table below shows the species of the genus Helleborus, give its common name, the area of distribution, an image if available and the meaning of the scientific name. The cladogram shows the relationship between the different species determined with microbiological methods by Meiners et al. (2011). Caulescent species These four species have leaves on their flowering stems (in H. vesicarius the stems die back each year; it also has basal leaves). Helleborus argutifolius – Corsican hellebore Helleborus foetidus – stinking hellebore or setterwort Helleborus lividus Helleborus vesicarius Acaulescent (stemless) species These species have basal leaves. They have no true leaves on their flower stalks (although there are leafy bracts where the flower stalks branch). Helleborus atrorubens Helleborus croaticus Helleborus cyclophyllus Helleborus dumetorum Helleborus abruzzicus Helleborus liguricus Helleborus bocconei Helleborus multifidus Helleborus multifidus subsp. hercegovinus Helleborus multifidus subsp. istriacus Helleborus multifidus subsp. multifidus Helleborus niger – Christmas rose or black hellebore Helleborus niger subsp. macranthus (syn. H. niger major) Helleborus niger subsp. niger Helleborus odorus Helleborus odorus subsp. laxus Helleborus odorus subsp. odorus Helleborus orientalis – Lenten rose, Lenten hellebore, oriental hellebore (N.B. most of the Lenten hellebores in gardens are now considered to be H. × hybridus) Helleborus orientalis subsp. abchasicus (syn. H. abchasicus) Helleborus orientalis subsp. guttatus Helleborus orientalis subsp. orientalis (syn.