Galanthus nivalis

Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis)

The Little Snowdrop ( Galanthus nivalis), also known as ordinary snowdrops, is a species of the genus of snowdrops (Galanthus ) in the family of the Amaryllis family ( Amaryllidaceae ).

• 8.1 Notes and references

Description

Vegetative characteristics

The Little Snowdrop is a perennial herbaceous plant, the plant height usually 7 to 15 (2 to 18) achieved centimeters. This mostly growing in troops Geophyt is 1.5 to 2.5 × 1 to 1.5 (up to 2 ) inches large onions than outlasting.

The leaves are well developed at flowering time, slightly shorter to longer than the colored inflorescence stem, bluish- green or rarely blue-green. The leaf blade is linear with a length of 4.5 to 15 ( 26) inches and a width of 0.3 to 0.7 centimeters to strip form.

Generative features

The flowers are single, nodding on the inflorescence stem. The single flower is derived from a reduced trugdoldigen inflorescence. It is a deformed, white-skinned high leaf sheath present, which originated from the coalescence of two bracts, which can also be described as a spathe and has a length of 2 to 3.5 inches. The flower stem is 1.2 to 3 (up to 4 ) inches long.

The hermaphrodite flowers are triple. The spreading, outer bracts are obovate with a length of 1.5 to 2 ( 2.5 ) and a width of 0.6 to 1.1 inches long by wide. The crown -like manner inclined inner bracts are obovate or oblong, with a length of 0.7 to 1.2 and a width of 0.4 to 0.6 inches on the outside and have a not reaching to the base green stain. The outer bracts are thus about twice as long as the inner. There are two × three stamens present. The 3-5 mm long anthers open by pores. The ovary has a length of 5 to 6 mm and a diameter of 3 to 4 millimeters. The stylus is 6-8 millimeters long. The flowering period extends from February to March, some of them begins in December and lasts until April.

The green, fleshy and spherical fruit capsule opens loculicidal, containing several seeds. The light brown seeds are oblong to obtuse, with a length of 3.5 mm and have a fleshy Elaiosom.

Ecology

The Little Snowdrop is a typical spring plant, where even the flowers are frost hardy. The leaves of this bulbous geophytes drag an early stage and have disappeared in early summer.

Biologically flowers are gay game " bell flowers with spreading device " with " anbohrbarem tissue" and with nectar. The white flower color is caused by entrapment of air between the cells. The inner bracts smell stronger than the outer and serve as the orientation of the pollinators. The pollen to which trickles clinging bees and butterflies down. Due to their strong UV reflection, the flowers stand in snow for the visitors clearly from the background. Pollinators are mainly honey bees, which are particularly interested in the pollen, as well as butterflies. Before withering self-pollination takes place.

The seeds have a curved appendage ( Elaiosom ), which serves to spread by ants. As a special adaptation to this form of propagation, the enervating Fruchtstandsschäfte sink to the bottom.

Toxicity

The Little Snowdrop is toxic. The principal amount of toxins in the onions. There alkaloids are present as 0.09% galanthamine and lycorine.

Diseases

The Snowdrop is attacked by the rust fungus Melampsora galanthi fragilis with spermogonia and Aecidias and Puccinia galanthi with Telien.

Occurrence

The Small snowdrops comes in France, Italy, the Balkans, Austria and Switzerland, West Germany, in southern Poland and in Western Ukraine in deciduous forests at altitudes usually 300 to 600 (100 to 1400) meters in front. It is preferable to refer to lime. In the northern central Europe and in North America, this species has been naturalized.

System

There are intermediate forms of Galanthus nivalis Galanthus reginae - with olgae in Italy and the Balkans, as well as with Galanthus plicatus subsp. byzantinus in northwest Turkey.

Use

The Little Snowdrop is used widely as an ornamental plant in gardens and parks. Especially in old orchards and cemeteries, it is wild and has become common. The species is in cultivation since at least 1568. There are numerous varieties (selection):

• ' Atkinsi ' (possibly a hybrid with Galanthus plicatus ): one or both blade edges are slightly folded back. The flowering period extends from January to February. The outer bracts are very long and one is often different.
• ' Imperati ': Flowers and leaves are larger. The leaf margin is more or less rolled back strong, but not folded back.
• ' Scharlockii ': The bracts are leaf -like.
• ' Flore pleno ': The flowers are filled. The variety is known since 1733.

Documents

• GBStraley & FHUtech. Galanthus Galanthus nivalis, pp. 280 - text the same online as printed work, In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee ( eds.): Flora of North America North of Mexico, Volume 26, Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. , Oxford University Press, New York, among others 2002, ISBN 0-19-515208-5 ( Description section )
• Corner Hardt J. Hunter, Friedrich Ebel, Peter Hanelt, Gerd Müller K. (ed.): Rothmaler Exkursionsflora of Germany. Volume 5: Herbaceous ornamental and useful plants. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg 2008, ISBN 978-3-8274-0918-8.
• Snowdrop. In: FloraWeb.de.
• Ruprecht Duell, Herfried Kutzelnigg: Pocket Dictionary of Plants in Germany and neighboring countries. The most common central European species in the portrait. 7, revised and expanded edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2011, ISBN 978-3-494-01424-1. (Section Ecology )
• Roth / Daunderer / Kormann: poisonous plants plant toxins. 6th edition (2012 ) ISBN 978-3-86820-009-6
• Entry in GRIN.