Common Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis)

Often referred to as the common snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis is the best-known and most widespread representative of a small genus of about 20 species in the family Amaryllidaceae. Snowdrops are among the first bulbs to bloom in spring and can form impressive carpets of white in areas where they are native or have been naturalised.

The generic name Galanthus, from the Greek gala (milk) and anthos (flower), was given to the genus by Carl Linnaeus in 1735. He described Galanthus nivalis in his Species Plantarum published in 1753. The epithet "nivalis" means "of the snow", referring either to the snow-like flower or the plant's early flowering.

Galanthus nivalis is widely grown in gardens, particularly in northern Europe, and is widely naturalised in woodlands in the regions where it is grown. It is, however, native to a large area of Europe, from Spain in the west, eastwards to the Ukraine.

Although often thought of as a British native wild flower, or to have been brought to the British Isles by the Romans, it is now thought that it was probably introduced much later, perhaps around the early sixteenth century.

Description taken from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galanthus_nivalis

• Biota
• Life
• Vitae
• Eukaryota
• Green
• White
• Plantae
• Plants
• Magnoliophyta
• Flowering Plants
• Angiosperms
• Liliopsida
• Monocotyledons
• Asparagales
• Amaryllidaceae
• Amaryllis
• Galanthus
• Snowdrops
• Galanthus nivalis
• Common Snowdrop

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