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 Common Snowdrop
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G. Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group Liliopsida is a Botanical name for the class containing the family Liliaceae (or Lily Family Asparagales is an order of Flowering plants The order must include the family Asparagaceae, but other families included in the order have varied markedly Amaryllidaceae is the Botanical name of a family of Flowering plants. Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. alpinus |
The common snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) is the best-known representative of a small genus of about 20 species in the family Amaryllidaceae that are among the first bulbs to bloom in spring. A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic In Biological classification, family ( Latin Amaryllidaceae is the Botanical name of a family of Flowering plants.
Snowdrops should not be confused with their relatives snowflakes, Leucojum species; leucojums are much larger and flower in spring (or early summer, depending on the species), with all six petals in the flower the same size, though it should be noted that some "poculiform" (slipper-shaped) Galanthus can have inner segments similar in length to the outer ones. Spring Snowflake ( Leucojum vernum) and Summer Snowflake or Loddon Lily ( Leucojum aestivum) are bulbous plants belonging to the
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Description
All species of Galanthus have bulbs, linear leaves, and erect flowering stalks, destitute of leaves but bearing at the top a solitary pendulous bell-shaped flower. A bulb is an underground vertical Shoot that has modified leaves (or thickened leaf bases that are used as Food Storage organs by Galanthus nivalis grows 15 cm tall, flowering in January or February in the northern temperate zone. The white flower has six petals, the outer three segments being larger and more convex than the inner series. The six anthers open by pores or short slits. In Botany, a stoma (also stomate; plural stomata) is a tiny opening or pore found mostly on the underside of a Plant Leaf The ovary is three-celled, ripening into a three-celled capsule.
Propagation is by offset bulbs, either by careful division of clumps in full growth ("in the green"), or removed when the plants are dormant, immediately after the leaves have withered; or by seeds sown either when ripe, or in spring. Professional growers and keen amateurs also use such methods as "twin-scaling" to increase the stock of choice cultivars (cultivated varieties) quickly. Twin-scaling is a method of propagating plant Bulbs that have a Basal plate, such as Hippeastrum, Narcissus A cultivar is a cultivated Plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of its decorative or useful characteristics it is usually distinct from similar
Double-flowered forms such as Galanthus nivalis f. pleniflorus 'Flore Pleno' may be less attractive to the eye of the purist. There are numerous cultivars, single and double, differing particularly in the size and markings of the flower, the period of flowering, and other characteristics of interest to keen (even fanatical) collectors known as "galanthophiles. A galanthophile is an enthusiastic collector of Snowdrops ( Galanthus species and Cultivars. "
Other notable species:
- Crimean snowdrop, Galanthus plicatus, 30 cm tall, flowering January/March, white flowers, with broad leaves folded back at the edges
- Giant snowdrop, Galanthus elwesii, a native of the Levant, 23 cm tall, flowering January/February, with large flowers, the three inner segments of which often have a much larger and more conspicuous green blotch (or blotches) than the more common kinds. See also Names of the Levant The Levant (lə'vænt is a geographical term that denotes a large area in Western Asia, roughly bounded on the north by the
Active substances
It was suggested by Duvoisin in 1983 that the mysterious magical herb moly that appears in Homer's Odyssey is actually snowdrop. Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the The Odyssey ( Greek: Ὀδύσσεια or Odússeia) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. An active substance in snowdrop is called galantamine, which, as anticholinesterase, could have acted as an antidote to Circe's poisons. Galantamine (trade names Razadyne, Razadyne ER, Reminyl, Memeron) is a drug used for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease An acetylcholinesterase inhibitor or anti-cholinesterase is a chemical that inhibits the Cholinesterase enzyme from breaking down Acetylcholine In Greek mythology, Circe ( sərsē; Greek Κίρκη Kírkē, falcon is a Queen Goddess (or sometimes a Nymph Galantamine (or galanthamine) can be helpful in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, though it is not a cure; the substance also occurs naturally in daffodils and other narcissi. Alzheimer's disease ( AD) also called Alzheimer disease or simply Alzheimer's, is the most common form of Dementia.
Cultivars of Galanthus nivalis
Single flowered cultivars
- Galanthus nivalis Poculiformis Group - inner segments are almost same length and shape as outer ones, usually unmarked and without a "sinus" (notch); includes such cultivars as 'Sandhill Gate'
- G. In botany a sinus is a space or indentation usually on a leaf between two lobes or teeth that does not break the continuity of the structure nivalis Sandersii Group - marks on inner segments are yellow instead of green; includes 'Sandersii' and 'Lutescens'
- G. nivalis Scharlockii Group - "donkey's ears snowdrop" with elongated spathe split down centre, resembling upright ears
Double-flowered cultivars
- G. nivalis f. pleniflorus 'Blewbury Tart' - curious, untidy, upward- or outward-facing flowers with dark green markings in the centre
- G. nivalis f. pleniflorus 'Flore Pleno' - doubles, usually quite untidy rosettes of extra segments of uneven length
- G. nivalis f. pleniflorus 'Lady Elphinstone' - a version of 'Flore Pleno' with yellowish colouring inside the flowers instead of green; may revert or vary from year to year
- G. nivalis f. pleniflorus 'Pusey Green Tip' - with small green tips to the outer segments
Snowdrop gardens in the UK and Ireland
Celebrated as a sign of spring, snowdrops can form impressive carpets of white in areas where they are native or have been naturalised. These displays may attract large numbers of sightseers. Several gardens open specially in February for visitors to admire the flowers. Sixty gardens took part in Scotland's first Snowdrop Festival (1 Feb–11 March 2007). [1] Notable snowdrop gardens include: [2]
- Anglesey Abbey, Lode, Cambridgeshire
- Bank Hall, Bretherton, Lancashire
- Benington Lordship, Hertfordshire
- Brandy Mount, Alresford, Hampshire
- Cambo Estate, Fife, Scotland
- Colesbourne Park, Gloucestershire
- East Lambrook Manor, Somerset
- Easton Lodge, near Little Easton, Essex
- Easton Walled Gardens, near Grantham, Lincolnshire
- Felley Priory, Nottinghamshire
- Finlaystone, Renfrewshire, Scotland
- Hodsock Priory, Nottinghamshire
- Moggerhanger House, Bedfordshire
- Painswick Rococo Gardens, Gloucestershire
- Rodmarton Manor, Gloucestershire
- Walsingham, Norfolk
- Welford Park, Berkshire
Ireland
- Mark Smyth's Garden in Antrim Galanthus Gallery
- Primrose Hill, Lucan, County Dublin, Ireland [3]
Other Appearances
- In Neil Gaiman's novel Stardust, Dunstan Thorn and subsequently his son Tristran carry a glass snowdrop that chimes when held. Anglesey Abbey is a Country house, formerly a priory in the village of Lode, 5 ½ miles (8 In Geology a lode is the metalliferous Ore that fills a Fissure in a rock or a vein of ore deposited between layers of Cambo Estate lies close to village of Kingsbarns, Fife, Scotland. Fife ( Gaelic: Fìobha) is a Council area of Scotland, situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland Little Easton is a small village in Essex, England, which dates from the 12th century Grantham is a Market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. Felley Civil parish is in the Ashfield district of Nottinghamshire, England, between Hucknall and Sutton-in-Ashfield. Hodsock Priory is stately home in Nottinghamshire, north of Worksop, England and south of Blyth. Moggerhanger House is a Grade I listed Country house in Moggerhanger, Bedfordshire, England designed by the eminent architect John Soane Painswick is a small Town in Gloucestershire, England. Originally the town grew on the Wool trade but it is now best known for its church's Rodmarton Manor is a large country house in Rodmarton, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, built for the Biddulph family This refers to the English village for other uses see Walsingham (disambiguation Walsingham is a Village (actually two conjoined Welford Park is a country house and estate in the village of Welford, near the town of Newbury in the English county of Berkshire. For other meanings of Lucan, see Lucan (disambiguation. For the Roman poet Lucan see Marcus Annaeus Lucanus. Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and The flower has a very small, but pivitol role in the story.
- In the anime film Twelve Months (Sekai meisaku dowa mori wa ikiteiru in Japan), a greedy queen decrees that a basket of gold coins shall be rewarded to anyone who can bring her galanthus flowers in the dead of winter. A young girl named Anya is sent out during a snow storm by her cruel stepmother and find the spirits of the 12 months of the year, who take pity on her and not only save her from freezing to death, but make it possible for her to gather the flowers even in winter.
Gallery
 Illustration of common snowdrop from Thomé |
 Snowdrops in England in January |
 Snowdrops growing in a cluster |
 Galanthus elwesii |
 Snowdrop (Sweden) |
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 snowdrops in the snow |
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See also
References
- ^ VisitScotland.com: Snowdrop Festival. These Flowers come into Bloom in early spring: Anemone ranunculoides Bloodroot Dewberry Retrieved on 11 March 2007.
- ^ Great British Gardens: Snowdrops and Snowdrop Gardens 2007. Retrieved on 11 March 2007.
- ^ [http://www.rhs.org.uk/rhseventfinder/EventFinder2.asp?ID=5012379 RHS Event Finder: Snowdrops at Primrose Hill]. Retrieved on 11 March 2007.
- Aaron P Davis, The Genus Galanthus, A Botanical Magazine Monograph. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon (in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) ISBN 0-88192-431-8
- Matt Bishop, Aaron Davis, John Grimshaw, SNOWDROPS A Monograph of Cultivated Galanthus, Griffin Press, January 2002 (ISBN 0-9541916-0-9)
- Gvaladze GE, Ultrastructural study of Embryo Sac of Galanthus nivalis L. The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, usually referred to simply as Kew Gardens, are extensive Gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and in: Fertilization and embryogenesis, Bratislava, 1983
- Gvaladze GE, 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
- Plaitakis A, Duvoisin RC, Homer's moly identified as Galanthus nivalis L. : physiologic antidote to stramonium poisoning. Clin Neuropharmacol. 1983 Mar; 6(1):1-5. Abstract
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