Snowdrop  (Galanthus nivalis)

The snowdrop is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List (1).

The snowdrop is an early flowering bulbous plant; the pure white blooms are a cheering sight in late winter (3). The narrow leaves are bluish-green in colour, and the leaf-tips are hardened in order to break through frozen ground (3). The solitary white flowers are pendulous, and are enclosed by a papery sheath in the early stages (4). The segments of the perianth are petal-like; the outer three are 14-17 mm in length, the inner three are typically half as long, and have a green patch at the tips (2).

Although often thought to be a native species in some areas, the snowdrop is now believed to have been introduced to Britain, and has since become naturalised. It was growing in cultivation in 1597, but it was not until 1778 that it was recorded in the wild (5). Many colonies originated as garden escapes (3). Outside of Britain, the snowdrop is known from France and Belarus (White Russia) south to the Pyrenees, Sicily and southern Greece. It is also known from Asia Minor, Syria, south east Russia and the Caucasus region of south-west. Introduced populations have also naturalised further north than these areas (2).

You can view distribution information for this species at the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.

Thrives in moist woodlands and other shaded areas; typically found in gardens, churchyards, parks, damp grassland, road verges and by watercourses (5).

This perennial plant flowers in February and March (4) and is pollinated by bees (2). It spreads mainly by division of the bulbs; seed production is extremely poor, either because cross-pollination is rare as there are so few insects around in February, or because cultivated populations are usually sterile (3).

The pure white flowers have been accepted by the Christian church as symbols of Candlemas, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary (2 February), and snowdrops are often typical sights in monastic grounds (3).

This species is not threatened.

Not relevant.

There may be further information about this species available via the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.

For more information on British plants and their conservation see Plantlife- the wild plant conservation charity:
http://www.plantlife.org.uk/
Visit the website of the Botanical Society of the British Isles at:
http://www.bsbi.org.uk