Melanthiaceae
California false hellebore
Veratrum californicum
- Family
- Melanthiaceae
- Genus
- Veratrum
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Common names
By language (2)
- English
- California false hellebore
- Swedish
- Jättenysrot
Flowers
- Flower colour
- white (USDA PLANTS Database)
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Forb/herb
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- In the US and Canada
- Lower 48 states: native
Toxicity: Severe, as listed by the USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29). USDA rates how toxic a plant is to people or livestock; it is not a pet-safety rating, so ask a vet or poison line if a pet or child ate it.
Photos
Photo: JerryFriedman, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Jane S. Richardson, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Dcrjsr, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Dcrjsr, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Dcrjsr, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: oliveoligarchy from California, United States, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Jason Hollinger, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Jim Morefield from Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Jim Morefield from Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Missvain, CC BY 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
More in Veratrum
- White false-helleborineVeratrum albumMelanthiaceae
- False helleboreVeratrum nigrumMelanthiaceae
- Veratrum lobelianumMelanthiaceae
- False helleboreVeratrum virideMelanthiaceae
- White false helleboreVeratrum oxysepalumMelanthiaceae
- Veratrum dahuricumMelanthiaceae
- Fringed false helleboreVeratrum fimbriatumMelanthiaceae
- Veratrum stamineumMelanthiaceae
- Veratrum grandiflorumMelanthiaceae
- Veratrum maackiiMelanthiaceae
- Siskiyou false helleboreVeratrum insolitumMelanthiaceae
- Veratrum oblongumMelanthiaceae
Sources: classification from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.