elleber

English

Noun

elleber (uncountable)

1. (rare, Appalachia, especially in placenames) Hellebore.
   • 1904, Henry Gannett, A Gazetteer of Virginia and West Virginia, Genealogical Publishing Com, →ISBN, page 53:

     Elleber Ridge; summit between Elleber Run and Tackey Fork in Pocahontas County. Elevation, 4,000 to 4,500 feet.

   • 1960, Earl Lemley Core, Plant Life of West Virginia, page 90:

     American hellebore, or "elleber", is common and conspicuous in mountain swamps, mostly above 2500 feet in elevation; the rootstock is very poisonous and causes some losses among cattle.

   • 1974, Earl Lemley Core, The Monongalia Story: Prelude:

     [...] plants are "elleber" or hellebore (Veratrum viride), with dull green flowers, marsh marigold (Caltha palustris), with glossy yellow flowers, and Oswego-tea (Monarda didyma), with brilliant red flowers […]

   • 1997, Allen De Hart, West Virginia Hiking Trails: Hiking the Mountain State, Appalachian Mountain Club:

     [...] and Elleber Sods Rd (FR-1681). Ahead 0.1 mi is Elleber Knob (4,595 ft), with superb views of Deer Creek Valley, Little Mtn, and other distant ridges.

Further reading

• 2021 June 22, Michael B. Montgomery, Jennifer K. N. Heinmiller, Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English, UNC Press Books, →ISBN:

  [Hellebore is] Called Elleber by mountain-folk, whence the names of topographical features such as Elleber Ridge and Elleber Run (Pocahontas County).

• 2002, Wonderful West Virginia:

  [...] Elleber Runs. Actually, the word elleber is a shortening of the word hellebore. This rank, herbaceous plant, common along mountain streams above 2,500 feet elevation, is very poisonous to cattle. Thus, the name Elleber Run […]