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''Galanthus nivalis'', the snowdrop or common snowdrop, is the best-known and most widespread of the 20 species in its
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
, ''
Galanthus ''Galanthus'' (from Ancient Greek , (, "milk") + (, "flower")), or snowdrop, is a small genus of approximately 20 species of bulbous perennial herbaceous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae. The plants have two linear leaves and a single ...
''. Snowdrops are among the first bulbs to bloom in spring and can form impressive carpets of white in areas where they are native or have been naturalised. They should not be confused with the snowflakes, in the genera ''
Leucojum ''Leucojum'' is a small genus of bulbous plants native to Eurasia belonging to the Amaryllis family, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. As currently circumscribed, the genus includes only two known species, most former species having been moved into th ...
'' and '' Acis''.


Naming

The generic name ''Galanthus'', from the Greek ''gala'' (milk) and ''anthos'' (flower), was given to the genus by
Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...
in 1735. He described ''Galanthus nivalis'' in his ' published in 1753. The epithet means "of the snow", referring either to the snow-like flower or the plant's early flowering. The common name snowdrop first appeared in the 1633 edition of
John Gerard John Gerard (also John Gerarde, c. 1545–1612) was an English herbalist with a large garden in Holborn, now part of London. His 1,484-page illustrated ''Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes'', first published in 1597, became a popular gard ...
's ''Great Herbal'' (in the first edition (1597) he described it as the "Timely flowring Bulbus violet"). The derivation of the name is uncertain, although it may have come from the German word ''Schneetropfen'', which was a type of
earring An earring is a piece of jewelry attached to the ear via a piercing in the earlobe or another external part of the ear (except in the case of clip earrings, which clip onto the lobe). Earrings have been worn by people in different civilizations an ...
popular around that time. Other British traditional common names include "February fairmaids", "dingle-dangle", "Candlemas bells", "Mary's tapers" and, in parts of Yorkshire, "snow piercers" (like the French name ').


Distribution and habitat

''Galanthus nivalis'' is widely grown in gardens, particularly in northern Europe, and is widely
naturalised Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the i ...
in woodlands in the regions where it is grown. It is, however, native to a large area of
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, from
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in the west, eastwards to
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. It is native to
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, and Ukraine. It is considered naturalised in
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). Although often thought of as a British native wild flower, or to have been brought to the British Isles by the Romans, it is now thought that it was probably introduced much later, perhaps around the early sixteenth century.


Description

''Galanthus nivalis'' grows to around 7–15 cm tall, flowering between January and April in the northern temperate zone (January–May in the wild). They are perennial, herbaceous plants which grow from
bulb In botany, a bulb is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...
s. Each bulb generally produces two linear, or very narrowly lanceolate, greyish-green leaves and an erect, leafless scape (flowering stalk), which bears at the top a pair of bract-like
spathe In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...
valves joined by a papery membrane. From between them emerges a solitary, pendulous, bell-shaped white flower, held on a slender
pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...
. The flower consists of six
tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...
s, also referred to as segments. The outer three are larger and more convex than the inner ones. The inner flower segments are usually marked on their outer surface with a green or greenish-yellow V- or U-shaped mark (sometimes described as "bridge-shaped") over the small
sinus Sinus may refer to: Anatomy * Sinus (anatomy), a sac or cavity in any organ or tissue ** Paranasal sinuses, air cavities in the cranial bones, especially those near the nose, including: *** Maxillary sinus, is the largest of the paranasal sinuses, ...
(notch) at the tip of each tepal. The inner surface has a faint green mark covering all or most of it. Occasionally plants are found with green markings on the outer surface of the outer tepals. The six long, pointed
anther The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...
s open by pores or short slits. The
ovary The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. ...
is three-celled, ripening into a three-celled capsule. Each whitish seed has a small, fleshy tail (the
elaiosome Elaiosomes ( grc, ἔλαιον ''élaion'' "oil" + ''sóma'' "body") are fleshy structures that are attached to the seeds of many plant species. The elaiosome is rich in lipids and proteins, and may be variously shaped. Many plants have elaio ...
) containing substances attractive to ants which distribute the seeds. The leaves die back a few weeks after the flowers have faded. ''G. nivalis'' is a cross-pollinating plant, but sometimes
self-pollination Self-pollination is a form of pollination in which pollen from the same plant arrives at the Stigma (botany), stigma of a flower (in flowering plants) or at the ovule (in gymnosperms). There are two types of self-pollination: in autogamy, pollen i ...
takes place. It is pollinated by
bees Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamil ...
.


Cultivation and propagation

See ''Galanthus'' §Propagation.


Active substances

Snowdrops contain an active substance called
galantamine Galantamine is used for the treatment of cognitive decline in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and various other memory impairments. It is an alkaloid that has been isolated from the bulbs and flowers of ''Galanthus nivalis'' (Common snowdro ...
(or galanthamine) which can be helpful in the treatment of
Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...
, though it is not a cure. Snowdrops contain also an active lectin or agglutinin named GNA for ''Galanthus nivalis agglutinin''. Potatoes have been
genetically modified Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of Genetic engineering techniques, technologies used to change the gene ...
with the GNA gene. In 1998
Árpád Pusztai Árpád János Pusztai (8 September 1930 – 17 December 2021) was a Hungarian-born British biochemist and nutritionist who spent 36 years at the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland. He was a world expert on plant lectins, authoring ...
said in an interview on a
World in Action ''World in Action'' was a British investigative current affairs programme made by Granada Television for ITV from 7 January 1963 until 7 December 1998. Its campaigning journalism frequently had a major impact on events of the day. Its producti ...
programme that his group had observed damage to the intestines and immune systems of rats fed the genetically modified potatoes. He also said "If I had the choice I would certainly not eat it", and that "I find it's very unfair to use our fellow citizens as
guinea pigs The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (''Cavia porcellus''), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy (), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus ''Cavia'' in the family Caviidae. Breeders tend to use the word ''cavy'' to describe the ani ...
". These remarks were criticised by the scientific community and started the so-called
Pusztai affair The Pusztai affair is a controversy that began in 1998. Protein scientist Árpád Pusztai went public with the initial results of unpublished research he was conducting at the Rowett Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland, investigating the possible ef ...
. A subsequent review of Pusztai's work by the
Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
showed that Pusztai's experiments were poorly designed and used incorrect statistical analysis.


Cultivars

''Galanthus nivalis'' has won the
Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...
's
Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...
. The common double snowdrop, ''Galanthus nivalis'' f. ''pleniflorus'' 'Flore Pleno', had appeared by 1703, when it was illustrated in ''The Duchess of Beaufort's Book''. It spread (and was spread) rapidly through northern Europe (by vegetative means, as it sets no seed). With 3–5 outer segments and 12–21 inner segments, which are often misshapen, the flowers may be less attractive to the eye of the purist than single-flowered or neater double cultivars, but they are good value in the garden as the bulbs spread rapidly and the large flowers show up well. There are numerous named
cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...
s of ''G. nivalis'', single, semi-double, double and "poculiform" (meaning goblet or cup-shaped, this refers to flowers with inner segments that are almost the same shape and length as the outer ones). Apart from these traits they differ particularly in the size and markings of the flower and the period of flowering; other characteristics are less obvious to the untrained eye and are mainly of interest to "
galanthophile A galanthophile is an enthusiastic collector and identifier of snowdrop (''Galanthus'') species and cultivars. Term The term galanthophile was probably coined by a noted British plantsman and garden writer E. A. Bowles (1865–1954), in a lette ...
s".


Some single-flowered cultivars

* ''Galanthus nivalis'' 'Anglesey Abbey' – green-leaved (rather than the usual greyish-green) and vigorous, with some flowers poculiform, some semi-poculiform and others normal. This cultivar (discovered at Anglesey Abbey, Lode, Cambridgeshire, UK, the source of several good cultivars) was at first identified as belonging to ''G.lagodechianus'', a rarely grown green-leafed species, or a hybrid between it and ''G. nivalis'', but has now been shown to be an unusual variant of ''G. nivalis'' * ''G. nivalis'' 'Atkinsii' – Allen reported to the RHS 1891 Snowdrop Meeting: this is "''second to none in size, form, quality and freedom of growth.''" ''"James Atkins of
Painswick Painswick is a town and civil parish in the Stroud District in Gloucestershire, England. Originally the town grew from the wool trade, but it is now best known for its parish church's yew trees and the local Rococo Garden. The village is mainly ...
received it from a friend, presumably in the 1860s ... He gave this snowdrop to Canon Ellacombe"'' of
Bitton Bitton is a village and civil parish of South Gloucestershire in England, to the east of the Greater Bristol area on the River Boyd. It is in South Gloucestershire. The parish of Bitton has a population of 9,307, and apart from the village ...
who widely distributed it. * ''G. nivalis'' 'Blonde Inge' – mark on inner segments is yellow, sometimes rather bronzy or "tarnished"-looking, although the ovary is green (unlike most "yellow" snowdrops). Discovered near Cologne, Germany, in 1977 * ''G. nivalis'' Poculiformis Group – inner segments are almost same length and shape as outer ones, usually unmarked and without a "
sinus Sinus may refer to: Anatomy * Sinus (anatomy), a sac or cavity in any organ or tissue ** Paranasal sinuses, air cavities in the cranial bones, especially those near the nose, including: *** Maxillary sinus, is the largest of the paranasal sinuses, ...
" (notch); includes such cultivars as 'Sandhill Gate' * ''G. nivalis'' Sandersii Group – ovary and marks on inner segments are yellow instead of green; leaves and flower-stalks may also be slightly yellowish; includes those plants known as 'Flavescens', 'Lutescens' and 'Sandersii', and more recent cultivars such as 'Ray Cobb' and 'Savill Gold'. 'Sandersii' was the first to be named (as ''G. nivalis'' var. ''sandersii'') in 1877; it was found near
Belford, Northumberland Belford is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, England, about halfway between Alnwick and Berwick-upon-Tweed, a few miles inland from the east coast and just off the Great North Road, the A1. At the 2001 census it had a population of ...
; 'Flavescens', a taller, finer clone, was found in a cottage garden in
Whittingham, Northumberland Whittingham is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, England. It is situated on the banks of the River Aln, roughly east of its source at Alnham and west of Alnwick. The thirteenth/fourteenth century pele tower, Whittingham Tower, ...
in 1889 (and named ''G. flavescens''). Yellow-flowered snowdrops are relatively frequent in woodlands in Northumberland but seem to be decreasing, perhaps due to illegal collecting. They tend to be less vigorous than normal ''G. nivalis'' and may prove difficult to grow * ''G. nivalis'' Scharlockii Group – "donkey's ears snowdrops" have an elongated, foliose spathe that is split down the centre, resembling upright ears. The Group is very variable in height. The original 'Scharlockii' was found in the Nahe valley, Germany, and named in 1868; it has green markings on its outer segments. Seedlings have been raised from it that have the split spathe but no green outer markings, or that have the markings but a normal spathe. Double-flowered seedlings have also arisen * ''G. nivalis'' 'Snow White's Gnome' – at less than 5 cm tall in flower, this is possibly the world's smallest snowdrop cultivar. Found in the Czech Republic in 1990, it has relatively long, upright spathes, around half the height of the entire flowering shoot. The flowers are albino (with no markings at all), or almost so, with only two tiny dots per inner segment * ''G. nivalis'' 'Viridapice' – variable in size and vigour (some larger plants have been shown to be
triploid Polyploidy is a condition in which the cells of an organism have more than one pair of ( homologous) chromosomes. Most species whose cells have nuclei ( eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, where each set contain ...
), the flowers have green-tipped outer segments; the spathe may be normal, or elongated and inflated or foliose; found in northern
Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...
by JMC Hoog of the famous Dutch bulb company; painted by EA Bowles in 1916 * ''G. nivalis'' 'Virescens' – "the original green snowdrop" (dating from with large areas of pale green covering roughly two-thirds of the outer segments (nearest the ovary, not extending to the tips). Narrow flowers, with rather flattened outer segments, flaring outward at the tips. Late flowering, often into April * ''G. nivalis'' 'Warei' – a very sturdy triploid, with green-tipped outer segments, similar to 'Viridapice' but larger, with enormous foliose spathes up to 11 cm long. Originated in 1886 among some bulbs of ''G. nivalis'' 'Scharlockii'


Some double-flowered cultivars

* ''G. nivalis'' f. ''pleniflorus'' 'Blewbury Tart' – curious, untidy, upward- or outward-facing flowers with dark green markings in the centre; found in
Blewbury Blewbury is a village and civil parish at the foot of the Berkshire Downs section of the North Wessex Downs about south of Didcot, south of Oxford and west of London. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it ...
, UK, in 1975 * ''G. nivalis'' f. ''pleniflorus'' 'Doncaster's Double Scharlock' – a loose double, with three to six outers, strongly tipped with green, and a long, upright split spathe (the two parts of which sometimes cross over each other); named after plantswoman Amy Doncaster, who grew it as 'Scharlockii Flore Pleno', thinking that it must be the same as the double raised from seed of 'Scharlockii' by nurseryman James Allen early in the 20th century, but a contemporary drawing of the original plant shows it to have been less striking than this one * ''G. nivalis'' f. ''pleniflorus'' 'Flore Pleno' – the most common double snowdrop, having three to five unmarked outer segments surrounding rosettes of numerous green-marked inner segments, usually of uneven length, giving a quite untidy appearance * ''G. nivalis'' f. ''pleniflorus'' 'Lady Elphinstone' – a version of 'Flore Pleno' with yellow colouring inside the flowers instead of green; may revert to the normal 'Flore Pleno' or vary from year to year; found in
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
, UK, in the late 19th century * ''G. nivalis'' f. ''pleniflorus'' 'Walrus' – a curious double, its outers resemble narrow, tubular, greenish "tusks" up to 2.5 cm long, the inners usually form a neat, widely splayed rosette; the long foliose spathe may sometimes split, as in 'Scharlockii'; selected at
Maidwell Maidwell is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire in England. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish had 325 inhabitants, including Draughton, and this increased to 429 at the 2011 census. The villages name means 'Maidens' s ...
, Northamptonshire in the 1960s * "Spiky doubles" – occasionally found among normal "wild" ''G. nivalis'' are bulbs that produce upward-facing tufts of narrow, quill-like segments, looking like a white, off-white, greenish
shuttlecock A shuttlecock (also called a birdie or shuttle) is a high-drag projectile used in the sport of badminton. It has an open conical shape formed by feathers or plastic (or a synthetic alternative) embedded into a rounded cork (or rubber) base. T ...
or
shaving brush A shaving brush or shave brush is a small brush with a handle parallel to the bristles used to make lather from shaving soap or shaving cream and apply it to the face when shaving. Shave brushes are often decorative; antique handles are often mad ...
. 'Boyd's Double', the first of these to be documented (found prior to 1905), is still the darkest green in colour; others include 'Cockatoo', 'Ermine Spiky' and 'Irish Green'


Snowdrop gardens

In the UK and
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, many gardens open specially in February for visitors to admire the flowers. These displays may attract large numbers of sightseers. Some feature extensive displays of naturalised ''G. nivalis''; others have more specialised collections of many species, forms and cultivars.


See also

*
List of snowdrop gardens Snowdrops (species of '' Galanthus'') are popular late winter or early spring flowers which are celebrated as a sign of spring and can attract large numbers of visitors to places where they are growing. The reason for their popularity is that snow ...


References


Bibliography

* * *


Further reading

* * * Gvaladze, G. E., Akhalkatsi MSh, Ultrastructure of autumn and spring Embryo Sac of ''Galanthus nivalis'' L. in ''Annales Scientifiques de l'Universite de Reims Champagne-Ardenne et de l'A.R.E.R.S.'', 1988, Numero 23 *


External links


Kew plant profile: ''Galanthus nivalis'' (common snowdrop)
{{Authority control Amaryllidoideae Flora of Europe Ephemeral plants Medicinal plants of Europe Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Garden plants of Europe