Snowdrops are the flowers of Galanthus nivalis, the best-known and most widespread of the 20 species in the genus Galanthus. They are among the first bulbs to bloom in spring. Each plant has two linear leaves and a single small white, drooping, bell-shaped flower with six petal-like tepals in two circles. The smaller inner petals have green markings.
Botany and Range
Galanthus nivalis is native to a large area of Europe, from Spain in the west, eastwards to Ukraine. It is a perennial, herbaceous plant that grows from bulbs. In the northern temperate zone it flowers between January and April. Snowdrops favour damp soil and are often found in broadleaved woodland. The plant is widely naturalised in woodlands in the regions where it is grown. Snowdrops spread via bulb division. The plant grows to around 7-15 cm tall. Each whitish seed has a small, fleshy tail, the elaiosome, which holds substances that attract ants, and the ants distribute the seeds. The plant is pollinated by bees.
Name and History
Galanthus comes from the Greek words for milk and flower, alluding to the colour of the flowers. The epithet nivalis means 'of the snow', referring either to the snow-like flower or to the plant's early flowering. The common name snowdrop first appeared in the 1633 edition of John Gerard's Great Herbal. The French name is perce-neige. Snowdrops have been known since the earliest times under various names, but were named Galanthus in 1753. Galanthus nivalis was most likely introduced to the British Isles around the early sixteenth century.
Uses and Symbolism
Snowdrops contain an active substance called galantamine (or galanthamine), which can be helpful in the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease, though it is not a cure. Galantamine was isolated for the first time from bulbs of Galanthus nivalis in the Soviet Union in the 1940s. Snowdrops also contain a lectin named GNA, short for Galanthus nivalis agglutinin. Traditionally, snowdrops were used to treat headaches and as a painkiller. Snowdrop bulbs are poisonous if eaten. The flowering of snowdrops is one of the first signs that winter is drawing to an end, and the flower has long been viewed as a symbol of hope for better times ahead. The flower has a long association with the Christian festival of Candlemas, which earned it the alternative name of Candlemas Bells.
Conservation
Galanthus nivalis is near threatened on the IUCN Red List. Under CITES regulations, international trade in any quantity of Galanthus is illegal without a CITES permit. Galanthus is traded more than any other wild-source ornamental bulb genus, and millions of bulbs are exported each year from Turkey and Georgia. CITES allows a limited trade in wild-collected bulbs of just three species, G. nivalis among them, from those two countries.
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