Flower profile

Green false hellebore

Veratrum viride

Green false hellebore (Veratrum viride) is a flowering plant in the Melanthiaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly May–August across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Green false hellebore is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 9 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–August.

25states where USDA records it

9Bloomipedia state lists include it

19,114U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alaska, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia

Quick look

Veratrum viride, known as Indian poke, corn-lily, Indian hellebore, false hellebore, green false hellebore, or giant false-helleborine, is a species of Veratrum native to eastern and western North America. It is extremely toxic, and is considered a pest plant by farmers with livestock.
From Wikipedia's article Veratrum viride, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Melanthiaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 25 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Washington, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in July–August. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,548 research-grade sightings of it in New York, ranking #95 among the 193 flowers on our New York list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,161 research-grade sightings of it in Washington, ranking #88 among the 187 flowers on our Washington list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,835 research-grade sightings of it in Vermont, ranking #39 among the 159 flowers on our Vermont list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (749 records)

Bloom time in the 9 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
New York	Native	few records (35)	2,548
Washington	Native	July–August	2,161
Vermont	Native	June–July	1,835
Massachusetts	Native	few records (27)	1,498
Alaska	Native	few records (29)	1,440
Connecticut	Native	few records (24)	1,052
Montana	Native	few records (13)	892
West Virginia	Native	few records (22)	493
Rhode Island	Native	few records (5)	178

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)

Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}

NatureServe global

G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe

State rare plant lists

Not listed Not on the official rare plant list in 5 of our 9 states.

See each state

New York: Not listed Not on New York protected native plants (6 NYCRR § 193.3). NatureServe: S5, secure in New York. ^{6 NYCRR § 193.3}
Vermont: Not listed Not on Endangered and Threatened Plants of Vermont (10 V.S.A. chap. 123; list of Feb 10, 2022). NatureServe: S5, secure in Vermont. ^{Vermont E&T list}
Massachusetts: Not listed Not on Massachusetts Endangered Species Act list (321 CMR 10.90). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Massachusetts. ^{MESA list}
Connecticut: Not listed Not on Connecticut Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Plants (RCSA 26-306; 2015 list). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Connecticut. ^{CT E/T/SC list}
Rhode Island: Not listed Not on Rhode Island Rare Plants 2016 (RI Natural History Survey, from the RI Wildlife Action Plan; informational, Rhode Island has no state plant-protection listing law). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Rhode Island. ^{RI rare plants 2016}

Washington

No list Washington has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the Washington Natural Heritage Program's rare plant list isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Washington ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Washington.

Alaska

No list Alaska has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alaska ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alaska.

Montana

No list Montana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Montana ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Montana.

West Virginia

No list West Virginia has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (only federally listed species are protected), so we show NatureServe's West Virginia ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in West Virginia.

Rare elsewhere

Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: GA (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peoplePoisonous to people

NC State Extension lists it as poisonous to humans (severity: high). Poisonous parts: flowers, fruits, leaves, roots, stems. Symptoms they list: “Burning of mouth and throat, salivation, headache, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, sweating, convulsions” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records green false hellebore in 25 states plus Washington, D.C.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming; District of Columbia.

New York counties with USDA records: Albany, Bronx, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Dutchess, Erie, Essex, Herkimer, Kings, Madison, Nassau, New York, Oneida, Orange, Oswego, Putnam, Queens, Rensselaer, Richmond, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, St. Lawrence, Suffolk, Tompkins, Ulster, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westchester, Yates.

Washington counties with USDA records: Chelan, Clallam, Columbia, Cowlitz, Jefferson, King, Kittitas, Mason, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Pierce, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Walla Walla, Whatcom, Yakima.

Vermont counties with USDA records: Addison, Bennington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham, Windsor.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Alaska: Native; Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Veratrum eschscholtzianum, Veratrum eschscholtzii.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 309 counties across 22 states; the most are in Pennsylvania (63), New York (35), Virginia (35).

Other Veratrum on Bloomipedia (1): Corn lily.

More from the Melanthiaceae family (18 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Pacific trillium, Large white trillium, Red trillium, Painted trillium, Prairie trillium, Fremont's death camas, Toadshade, Common beargrass.

More New York flowers

Red trillium

Trillium erectum

Native

🌼 Blooms in NY: April–May

Large white trillium

Trillium grandiflorum

★ OH state wildflowerNative

🌼 Blooms in NY: April–May

White snakeroot

Ageratina altissima

Native

🌼 Blooms in NY: August–October

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile VEVI.
iNaturalist, Veratrum viride: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Veratrum viride (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
State rare and invasive plant lists (13):
Show all 13 state lists
- New York: New York protected native plants (6 NYCRR § 193.3).
- New York: New York prohibited and regulated invasive species (6 NYCRR Part 575).
- Washington: Washington State noxious weed list (WAC 16-750-005, -011, -015).
- Vermont: Endangered and Threatened Plants of Vermont (10 V.S.A. chap. 123; list of Feb 10, 2022).
- Vermont: Vermont Quarantine List, Regulated Introduced Plant Species Rule (eff. June 16, 2026).
- Massachusetts: Massachusetts Endangered Species Act list (321 CMR 10.90).
- Massachusetts: Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List (MDAR) (Text from MDAR's 2023 scientific-name PDF (mass.gov blocks automated downloads); 2024-2026 additions listed on the mass.gov page: Alnus glutinosa, Pyrus calleryana, Miscanthus sinensis, Aralia elata, Rhodotypos scandens, Symplocos paniculata.).
- Alaska: Alaska prohibited and restricted noxious weeds (11 AAC 34.020).
- Connecticut: Connecticut Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Plants (RCSA 26-306; 2015 list).
- Connecticut: Connecticut prohibited invasive plants (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 22a-381d).
- Montana: Montana noxious weed list (Admin. R. Mont. 4.5.206–4.5.210).
- West Virginia: West Virginia noxious weeds (W. Va. Code R. § 61-14A-5) (the rule abbreviates some names (e.g. “P. cuspidatum”); we expand them to match).
- Rhode Island: Rhode Island Rare Plants 2016 (RI Natural History Survey, from the RI Wildlife Action Plan; informational, Rhode Island has no state plant-protection listing law).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Veratrum viride (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Bruce Cook via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.