setterwort

9.9

A plant with finger-like leaves and a bad smell that can make you sick if eaten

noun

Archaic

: heléboro

If ingested, setterwort can cause severe irritation and should be handled with care.

Examples

Victorian gardeners sometimes planted setterwort for its unusual foliage despite its foul smell.
The roots of setterwort are known for their strong medicinal effects, though toxicity is a risk.
Many gardeners avoid setterworts due to their toxicity.
Did you know that setterwort can be harmful if ingested?
If ingested, setterwort can cause severe irritation and should be handled with care.
Did you know that setterwort has irritating qualities that can harm your skin?
Gardeners must remember that setterwort is not just unattractive, but also toxic if consumed.

Synonyms

Helleborus foetidus

vssetterwort

Specialized

9.9

A garden plant with split leaves and a bad smell that can irritate if eaten

is the general common plant term rather than the formal species name

bear's foot

vssetterwort

9.9

A plant with finger-like leaves that smells bad and can make you sick if eaten

is the formal label rather than a common everyday name

stinking hellebore

vssetterwort

Specialized

9.9

A plant that has green flowers, smells bad, and is poisonous if eaten

focuses on leaf shape and irritant traits rather than geography or flower details

Surface Forms

setterwort singular

setterworts plural

Morphology

setterwort = setter + wort (opaque) = setter + wort

Although analyzable as 'setter' + 'wort', the botanical name refers to a specific hellebore and its meaning is not inferable from the common senses of 'setter' and 'wort'.

Etymology

Setterwort is made of setter and wort; -wort is an old word for 'plant', as in St John's wort, and a helpful way to remember setter is to think of 'to set' or 'to cause' a strong reaction. So, setterwort is easy to remember as a plant with an unpleasant smell that can irritate or be toxic if eaten.