Taxon: Veratrum album L.

Summary

Genus:

Veratrum

Section:

Veratrum

Family:

Melanthiaceae

Tribe:

Melanthieae

Nomen number:

41134

Place of publication:

Sp. pl. 2:1044. 1753

Typification:

View in Linnean Typification Project

Verified:

02/14/2011 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

6 (4 active, 0 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Veratrum album L. subsp. album (0 active accession[s])
Veratrum album L. subsp. lobelianum (Bernh.) Schübl. & G. Martens (0 active accession[s])
Veratrum album L. subsp. misae (Širj.) Tzvelev (0 active accession[s])

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Images (2 total. Click on image for more.)

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Alm, T. 2002. Norwegian and Sámi ethnobotany of Veratrum album (Melanthiaceae). Sida 20:611-619.
CIBA-GEIGY, Basel, Switzerland. Documenta CIBA-GEIGY (Grass weeds 1. 1980, 2. 1981; Monocot weeds 3. 1982; Dicot weeds 1. 1988) Note: four books on weeds worldwide in scope
Davis, P. H., ed. 1965-1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands.
Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen
Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
Farnsworth, N. R. & D. D. Soejarto. 1988. Global importance of medicinal plants (unpublished draft manuscript rev. 23)
FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Hess, H. E. et al. 1976. Flora der Schweiz, ed. 2.
Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
Kingsbury, J. M. 1964. Poisonous plants of the United States and Canada.
Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2 Note: mentions
Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
Mathew, B. 1989. A review of Veratrum. Plantsman 11:39-41.
Pignatti, S. 1982. Flora d'Italia.
Šourková, M. 1988. Veratrum flavum - a forgotten species. Novit. Bot. Univ. Carol. 4:59-66.
Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
Walters, S. M. et al., eds. 1986-2000. European garden flora.
Zomlefer, W. B. 1997. The genera of Melanthiaceae in the southeastern United States. Harvard Pap. Bot. 2:165.

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	European white-hellebore	1	Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
English	white false hellebore	1	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
English	white veratrum	1	Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen
English	white-hellebore	1	Zomlefer, W. B. 1997. The genera of Melanthiaceae in the southeastern United States. Harvard Pap. Bot. 2:165.
Dutch	witte nieswortel	2	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
French	varaire blanc	2	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
French	vérâtre blanc	2	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
German	weißer Germer	2	Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen
Italian	elleboro bianco	2	Pignatti, S. 1982. Flora d'Italia.
Italian	veratro bianco	2	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Italian	veratro comune	2	Pignatti, S. 1982. Flora d'Italia.
Portuguese	eléboro-branco	2	Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
Portuguese	heléboro-branco	2	Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
Portuguese	veratro-branco	2	Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
Spanish	eléboro blanco	2	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Swedish	vit nysrot	2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Transliterated Russian	čemerica belaja	2	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Caucasus	Armenia			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Caucasus	Azerbaijan			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Caucasus	Georgia			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Caucasus	Russian Federation	Dagestan
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Caucasus	Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia	Ciscaucasia
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu	n.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Middle Asia	Kazakhstan			Czerepanov, S. K. 1995. Vascular plants of Russia and adjacent states (the former USSR) Cambridge University Press. Note: = Veratrum lobelianum Bernh.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Mongolia	Mongolia		n.	Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Russian Far East	Russian Federation	Amur
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Russian Far East	Russian Federation	Magadanskaja oblast'		Tolmachev, A. I. & J. G. Packer, eds. 1995-. Flora of the Russian Arctic. Note: = Veratrum lobelianum var. misae Širj.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Siberia	Russian Federation	Altay		Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Siberia	Russian Federation	Buryatia		Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Siberia	Russian Federation	Chita		Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Siberia	Russian Federation	Gorno-Altay		Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Siberia	Russian Federation	Irkutsk		Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Siberia	Russian Federation	Kemerovskaja oblast'		Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Siberia	Russian Federation	Krasnoyarsk		Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Siberia	Russian Federation	Kurganskaja oblast'		Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Siberia	Russian Federation	Novosibirsk		Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Siberia	Russian Federation	Omsk		Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Siberia	Russian Federation	Tomsk		Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Siberia	Russian Federation	Tyumen		Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Siberia	Russian Federation	Tyva, Respublika		Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Siberia	Russian Federation	Yakutia-Sakha		Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Turkey			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Europe	Eastern Europe	Belarus			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Europe	Eastern Europe	Lithuania
1	Native	Europe	Eastern Europe	Russian Federation-European part	European part		Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Europe	Eastern Europe	Ukraine			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Europe	Middle Europe	Austria			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Europe	Middle Europe	Czech Republic			Grulich, V. & A. Vydrová. 2003. Kýchavice bílá pravá (Veratrum album subsp. album) České republice. In: Papáček, M., ed., Biodiverzita a přírodní podmínky Novohradských hor (Biodiversity and environment of the Novohradské Mouintains, Czech Republic) 2:91-96. Note: Institute of Entomology AS ČR
1	Native	Europe	Middle Europe	Germany			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Europe	Middle Europe	Hungary			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Europe	Middle Europe	Poland		s.e.	Šourková, M. 1988. Veratrum flavum - a forgotten species. Novit. Bot. Univ. Carol. 4:59-66.
1	Native	Europe	Middle Europe	Slovakia			Šourková, M. 1988. Veratrum flavum - a forgotten species. Novit. Bot. Univ. Carol. 4:59-66.
1	Native	Europe	Middle Europe	Switzerland			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Europe	Northern Europe	Finland		n.e.	Alm, T. 2002. Norwegian and Sámi ethnobotany of Veratrum album (Melanthiaceae). Sida 20:611-619.
1	Native	Europe	Northern Europe	Norway		n.	Alm, T. 2002. Norwegian and Sámi ethnobotany of Veratrum album (Melanthiaceae). Sida 20:611-619.
1	Native	Europe	Southeastern Europe	Albania			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Europe	Southeastern Europe	Bulgaria			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Europe	Southeastern Europe	Former Yugoslavia			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
1	Native	Europe	Southeastern Europe	Greece			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Europe	Southeastern Europe	Italy			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Europe	Southeastern Europe	Romania			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Europe	Southeastern Europe	Slovenia			Wraber, T. 2004. Floral novelties from the Mt. Notranjski Snežnik (SW-Slovenia), 2. Hladnikia 17:10.
1	Native	Europe	Southwestern Europe	France			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Europe	Southwestern Europe	Portugal			Šourková, M. 1988. Veratrum flavum - a forgotten species. Novit. Bot. Univ. Carol. 4:59-66.
1	Native	Europe	Southwestern Europe	Spain			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
2	Cultivated					also cult.

Native
Asia-Temperate

WESTERN ASIA: Turkey
CAUCASUS: Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia [Ciscaucasia], Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russian Federation [Dagestan]
SIBERIA: Russian Federation [Altay, Buryatia, Chita, Gorno-Altay, Irkutsk, Kemerovskaja oblast', Krasnoyarsk, Kurganskaja oblast', Novosibirsk, Omsk, Tomsk, Tyumen, Tyva, Respublika, Yakutia-Sakha]
MIDDLE ASIA: Kazakhstan
MONGOLIA: Mongolia (n.)
RUSSIAN FAR EAST: Russian Federation [Amur, Magadanskaja oblast']
CHINA: China [Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu (n.)]

Europe

NORTHERN EUROPE: Finland (n.e.), Norway (n.)
MIDDLE EUROPE: Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland (s.e.), Slovakia
EASTERN EUROPE: Russian Federation-European part [European part], Belarus, Lithuania, Ukraine
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Former Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Romania, Slovenia
SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain, France, Portugal

Cultivated (also cult.)

Reference(s)

Alm, T. 2002. Norwegian and Sámi ethnobotany of Veratrum album (Melanthiaceae). Sida 20:611-619.
Czerepanov, S. K. 1995. Vascular plants of Russia and adjacent states (the former USSR) Cambridge University Press. Note: = Veratrum lobelianum Bernh.
Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
Grulich, V. & A. Vydrová. 2003. Kýchavice bílá pravá (Veratrum album subsp. album) České republice. In: Papáček, M., ed., Biodiverzita a přírodní podmínky Novohradských hor (Biodiversity and environment of the Novohradské Mouintains, Czech Republic) 2:91-96. Note: Institute of Entomology AS ČR
Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
Šourková, M. 1988. Veratrum flavum - a forgotten species. Novit. Bot. Univ. Carol. 4:59-66.
Tolmachev, A. I. & J. G. Packer, eds. 1995-. Flora of the Russian Arctic. Note: = Veratrum lobelianum var. misae Širj.
Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
Wraber, T. 2004. Floral novelties from the Mt. Notranjski Snežnik (SW-Slovenia), 2. Hladnikia 17:10.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Environmental	ornamental		Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
Environmental	ornamental		Walters, S. M. et al., eds. 1986-2000. European garden flora.
Medicines	source of pharmaceutical agent	protoveratrines A & B	Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Medicines	source of pharmaceutical agent	protoveratrines A & B	Farnsworth, N. R. & D. D. Soejarto. 1988. Global importance of medicinal plants (unpublished draft manuscript rev. 23)
Non-vertebrate poisons	plant pest control		Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Vertebrate poisons	mammals		Kingsbury, J. M. 1964. Poisonous plants of the United States and Canada.
Weed			CIBA-GEIGY, Basel, Switzerland. Documenta CIBA-GEIGY (Grass weeds 1. 1980, 2. 1981; Monocot weeds 3. 1982; Dicot weeds 1. 1988) Note: four books on weeds worldwide in scope

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=41134. Accessed 15 April 2026.