Helleborus grown from seeds collected in a forrest in Italy (near Viterbo)

[partisangardener]

For the last thirty years or so I collect  occasionally seeds of different helleborus in Italy. My most hunted area is in the mountains  between.
 Siena and Viterbo.(Middle Italy)
Apart from H.foetida I have two distinct species grown from these seeds.
Species one has green flowers no smell at least here. Leafs are divided and quite soft (similar to H.thibetanus). They die back by early light frost.
I think this could be abruzzicus

Species two has hard leafs and green flowers which look sometimes a bit whitish on the backside. Distinct smell and adult  Plants have strong divided leafs. These seeds collected in two different years in the same forrest appeard all in this shape.
Probably H.liguricus. Even not in the originally area first found.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Very nice. Tom Mitchell or Will McLewin would know.

[partisangardener]

In 2010 I collected again seeds in September. There was no way to tell which colour the flower once had. The seeds were on the ground in the leaflitter beneath a strong plant.
This year two seedlings started to flower. They had the wrong colour. The leafs where like the other hardleafed plants and the flowershape was the same. The years before they died back in strong frost. These young plants lost every year their leafs in the winter even thou I kept them indoor for the hardest period. This winter they stayed outside and some had still green leafs. Some died back. The old plants in the post before did not loose their leafs at all as the pictures show.

Has anyone ever seen plants from Italy with this colour?

[partisangardener]

I kept this early plants inside to crosspollinate them. Maybe the seedlings from them will show if this is a hybrid of unknown origin.
Helleborus orientalis  in private gardens are in this area probably not existing. I never saw one and I look in every garden I come by. This is a forrest at the hills around the Lago di Bolsena and no gardens in sight.

[partisangardener]

I took today some pictures of the suposed H.abruzzicus. 

[partisangardener]

Under what name could I contact Tom Mitchell or Will McLewin? Could not find them in the members list

[Maggi Young]

Axel, Tom is Evolutionplantsman  Will McLewin is not a forumist. I will pm you.