While a beautiful early bloomer, hellebore, also known as a Lenten rose, is usually poisonous. This one is blooming in a courtyard right now right in the middle of the University of Kentucky Chandler hospital, which sort of surprised me. They are beautiful. But it does remind me of the time I found a castor bean plant growing in another courtyard, one at my grandmother's nursing home. Castor beans contain ricin and are very toxic, and it was right in a public area where infirm people with dementia frequented. I did alert the staff, but I don't think they took me seriously. We should probably educate people at healthcare facilities and landscapers about certain perils of poisonous plants. Granted, many people think anything natural is good for you. But there are a lot of plants which, if eaten in sufficient quantities, can make you very ill or even kill you.
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