hi there- I live in Durango CO and recenlty saw this lovely plant during a hike. Can someone please help me ID it. Thanks DesertRose
I'm assuming your hike was in Colorado. If so, this is Veratrum tenuipetalum, or Colorado false hellebore. It only grows in Colorado and Wyoming. Its more broadly distributed relative, Veratrum viride (which looks similar), does not grow in Colorado, but overlaps in Wyoming. Veratrum tenuipetalum on the USDA Plants web site Veratrum tenuipetalum from forestryimages.org
Thank you very much!!! Are these plants domesticated (can I buy seeds/etc.)? Would it thrive in Denver in my backyard? And Finally, since it is also known as Skunk Cabbage...does it really smell that bad? Thanks! Gregg
Yes, you should be able to find seeds or plants from a local native plants nursery. Western Native Seeds in Coaldale carries them, as an example (this isn't an endorsement!). As you might note, they categorize the plant under wetlands / aquatic. I suspect that the plant enjoys moist or water-logged soils, like the more broadly-distributed Veratrum viride, which I've seen at lakesides, wet meadows and on subalpine wet slopes. It is possible to grow in a garden setting, however, as I recall seeing Veratrum viride in one of the British gardening magazines as a "hot plant" sometime in the past few years. Lastly, a word of caution. Veratrum viride is described as being "one of the most violently poisonous plants on the Northwest Coast" in Plants of Coastal British Columbia. This seems to carry over to Veratrum tenuipetalum, as it listed in a A Guide to Plant Poisoning in Animals of North America in the chapter on Plants Associated with Congenital Defects and Reproductive Failure. Some Internet sources found seem to shore up the contention that the entire genus (i.e., all Veratrum species) are poisonous. If you have small children or pets (or some in the neighbourhood), I wouldn't recommend planting it. But, I do sympathize with your desire to plant it - it is a lovely plant, particularly when seen en masse in the wild.