Sheep and goats readily eat leaves and plant tops. Cattle may eat it if other forage is scarce. False hellebore is poisonous from the time it starts to grow until after it is killed by freezing, but toxicity decreases as plants mature. The roots are 5 to 10 times as poisonous as leaves or stems. The poisonous substances in false hellebore are steroidal alkaloids.
False hellebore grows in damp or seepage areas, on meadows, and on hillsides.
The plant reaches a height of 1.5 to 2 meters. It is a robust perennial of the lily family. Leaves of false hellebore may measure 20 to 30 cm long and 7 to 15 cm broad. Cream-colored flowers grow in clusters at the top of a single unbranched stalk in a way that resembles corn. Seed pods turn black as they ripen.