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.
It emerges as soon as snow melts in the spring. Flowers appear in July and August, and the plant produces seeds in September. Sheep may show slight or marked signs of poisoning after eating 150 to 300 grams of green stems or leaves. If pregnant ewes eat false hellebore on the 14th day after breeding, the young may have congenital deformities of the head. When ewes eat the plant between days 17-19, they give birth to lambs having tracheal stenosis.