Plants commonly known as hellebores belong to the genus Helleborus, which consists of about twenty species of perennial flowering plants Ranunculus family.
The family includes well-known plants such as delphinium, anemone, buttercup, and columbine. Most of the common hellebores are clump-forming, low growing evergreens with toothed, palmate foliage. Most popular and easiest to grow are the Oriental hybrid hellebores. Their common names are Lenten rose, winter rose, and Christmas rose but they are not related to the rose family. Legend says that after learning about the birth of the Savior, the Bethlehem shepherds decided to bring gifts to the baby Jesus. All the shepherds gathered everything they could, but one shepherd could not find a worthy gift. He wept with great sorrow and in the place where his tears fell, a beautiful flower grew, which became a gift to the infant, a Christmas rose.