Helleborus niger

Helleborus niger var. Altifolius
Ranunculaceae

영명 : Christmas Rose

2009 02 22 촬영

Helleborus niger(Christmas Rose)는 미나리아재비(buttercup)과 식물이다. Helleborusniger는 초본류이며, 땅바닥에서 장상엽(palmate leaf)들이 짧은 줄기에서 나온다. 꽃은 하얀색이고 겨울에 핀다. 독성이 있는 식물인데, 뜻밖에도 중세시대에는 약용 물질이 있다고 믿었다.
 
고대, 검은 Helleborus로 가장 유명했던 곳은 그리스 Antikyra의 Phokian이라는 도시였다.

영국 대저택에서 피는 한 아종의 꽃들은 ST.Thomas에 의해 정착되어 왔다고 믿어진다. 그 근원은 그 꽃이 새로운 달력 날짜인 1월 6일정도에 피었는데, 그 날이 바로 옛 율리우스력(Julian calendar)에 의하면  성탄절이었다. 그래서 새로운 달력에 의한 크리스마스날이 다가와도 그 꽃은 피지않는다. 그것은 무시무시한 조짐이었기 때문에, 영국은 1588년에 나온 그레고리안 달력(Gregorian caledar)을 받아들이지 않았다. 그리고 1751년에서야 받아들이게 되었다.


* niger : 흑색의

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Helleborus niger is a herbaceous plant with basal, palmate leaves on short stems. The flowers are white, borne in winter. It is a very toxic plant, contrary to medieval belief that it had medicinal properties.
In antiquity the most famous place for the black hellebore was the Phokian city of Antikyra^[1] in Greece.

One subspecies blooms at the abbey in England believed by some to have been established by St. Thomas. There is a source that claims it blooms near the new calendar date of January 6. This date had been Christmas day under the old Julian calendar. So when Christmas day under the new calendar came around and the flower did not bloom, it was such a frightful omen that England did not adopt the Gregorian calendar at that time in 1588; adoption had to wait until 1751.^{[citation needed]}

In the Middle Ages, people strewed the flowers on the floors of their homes to drive out evil influences. They blessed their animals with it and used it to ward off the power of witches. These same people believed, however, that witches employed the herb in their spells and that sorcerers tossed the powdered herb into the air around them to make themselves invisible.

[edit] References

1. ^ Theophrastus, HP ΙΧ 10.2-4; Dioscorides, De materia medica IV 148-152, 162; Plinius, HN XXV 48-52

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2009 03 10 촬영 꽃 색이 붉게 변하였음