''Galanthus reginae-olgae'', Queen Olga's snowdrop, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family

Amaryllidaceae The Amaryllidaceae are a family of herbaceous, mainly perennial and bulbous (rarely rhizomatous) flowering plants in the monocot order Asparagales. The family takes its name from the genus ''Amaryllis'' and is commonly known as the amaryllis fa ...

, native to

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

and the west and north-west

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

(parts of Greece and the former Yugoslavia). Some variants produce their pendant white flowers in autumn, others in winter and early spring. It is cultivated as

ornamental bulbous plant Ornamental bulbous plants, often called ornamental bulbs or just bulbs in gardening and horticulture, are herbaceous perennials grown for ornamental purposes, which have underground or near ground storage organs. Botanists distinguish betwe ...

, preferring warmer situations in the garden than other species of ''

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).

Description

''Galanthus reginae-olgae'' has revolute leaves that are dark green with a central silver line and when fully grown are 11–15 cm long by 3–8 mm wide. Its flowers have three larger outer

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, pure white, and three smaller inner tepals, white with variable green markings near the tips. The outer tepals are about 15–35 mm long, the inner ones 9–12 mm long. Populations of ''Galanthus reginae-olgae'' that flower at different times, with or without the leaves being fully developed, have been described as separate species or subspecies. Those described as ''G. reginae-olgae'' subsp. ''reginae-olgae'' flower in the autumn, either before the leaves develop or with the leaves. Those described as ''G. reginae-olgae'' subsp. ''vernalis'' flower in late winter or early spring, with the leaves. File:Galanthus reginae-olgae close-up flower.jpg, Flower with quite large green markings File:Galanthus reginae-olgae closeup leaves.jpg, Leaves File:Galanthus reginae-olgae 91Q03.jpg, Flowering in autumn without leaves (in cultivation)

Taxonomy

''Galanthus reginae-olgae'' was first described in 1876 by

Theodoros G. Orphanides Theodoros Orphanides or Orphanidis ( el, Θεόδωρος Ορφανίδης; 1817 – 5 August 1886) was a poet, professor, politician, author, and botanist. He was a pioneer in 19th-century Greek botany. He helped organize the botanical garden ...

. The epithet ''reginae-olgae'' means 'of Queen Olga';

Olga Constantinovna of Russia Olga Constantinovna of Russia ( el, Όλγα; 18 June 1926) was queen consort of Greece as the wife of King George I. She was briefly the regent of Greece in 1920. A member of the Romanov dynasty, she was the oldest daughter of Grand Duke Co ...

was then Queen of Greece. The species (or when divided into subspecies, its autonymous subspecies) has been treated as ''

Galanthus nivalis ''Galanthus nivalis'', the snowdrop or common snowdrop, is the best-known and most widespread of the 20 species in its genus, ''Galanthus''. Snowdrops are among the first bulbs to bloom in spring and can form impressive carpets of white in areas ...

'' subsp. ''reginae-olgae''. Other regularly used synonyms include ''G. olgae'' and ''G. corcyrensis''. The name ''Galanthus corcyrensis'' has been particularly used for plants that flower in the autumn with the leaves rather than before them.

Subspecies

The species has been divided into two subspecies, distinguished by the time of flowering: *''Galanthus reginae-olgae'' subsp. ''reginae-olgae'' – flowering in autumn *''Galanthus reginae-olgae'' subsp. ''vernalis'' Kamari – flowering in late winter to spring There is however no sharp division between these two subspecies.

Distribution and habitat

''Galanthus reginae-olgae'' is native to

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

and parts of the

, in particular

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

and former

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

. It is found in relatively dry, shady woodland.

Cultivation

''Galanthus reginae-olgae'' is cultivated as an

, particularly the autumn-flowering variants. In cultivation, it requires a warmer and sunnier position than most other ''Galanthus'' species. The cultivar 'Cambridge', originating from the

Cambridge University Botanic Garden The Cambridge University Botanic Garden is a botanical garden located in Cambridge, England, associated with the university Department of Plant Sciences (formerly Botany School). It lies between Trumpington Road to the west, Bateman Street to ...

, has large green markings on the inner tepals. ''Galanthus reginae-olgae'' subsp. ''reginae-olgae'' has received 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 ...

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 ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1796021 Amaryllidoideae Flora of Greece Flora of Sicily Flora of Yugoslavia Plants described in 1876