The False Green Hellebore (Veratrum viride Ait.) is blooming in profusion on the camp ground at the Rim. Its large green leaves cause tourists to frequently mistake it for skunk cabbage.

The Hellebores have long been know to be very poisonous. All parts of the plant are lethal. As far back as the time of Pliny the deadly properties of this genus of plants were know. Pliny himself tells us how oxen, horses, and swine were killed by eating the foliage. On our own Pacific Coast, far from the time and place of Pliny, there is considerable loss among foraging stock when the grazing is short. The fine green leaves are very tempting to animals, although it is rare that they will eat them unless pressed by hunger.

The number of poisonous substances in the tissues of the Hellebores is very large indeed. Of these the so-called "veratrin" having the chemical formulae C₃₂H₁₉NO₁₁, has a violent physiological effect. It causes severe sneezing and dilates the pupils of the eyes. Recently this substance has been reduced to several which were unknown to the earlier investigators. Of these the base, "cevadin", is very toxic. "Veratridin" and "sabadillin" have also been separated from the "veratrin" of the earlier writers. There have been many other poisonous bases, alkaloids, and glucosides found in these plants by toxicologists.

Most cased of poisoning from this plant are due to over doses of the drug made from them.