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Common snowdrop

Common snowdrop

The only representative of the small snowdrops in Slovenia

A delicate white flower peeks out of the snow and it feels like spring is here. But it may still take some time to arrive. In Slovenia, there is only one species of snowdrop from the genus Galanthus – the common snowdrop.

Common snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis)

Size
  • 10 - 25 cm
Blooming period
  • February–April
Growing site
  • forests and forest edges, meadows
Distribution

  • everywhere in Slovenia
   
Kingdom
  • Plantae
Phylum
  • angiosperms
Class
  • dicotyledons
Order
  • Asparagales
Family
  • Amaryllidaceae
Genus
  • Galanthus
Species
  • Common snowdrop

 

Common snowdrops tend to grow in clusters and are often found together. This white herald of spring can be found all across Slovenia.

The common snowdrop tends to grow in clusters and appears in various forms. From the bulb, two narrow leaves emerge, and the leafless stem carries a nodding flower. The outer three petals are usually pure white. The inner three are shorter, with a green mark at the tip, resembling an upside-down letter V.

Although the typical snowdrop has three white outer petals, there are also varieties with a delicate green floral dress, snowdrops with two, four, or five outer petals, and others whose flowers resemble those of dogtooth violet or cyclamen.

The delicate, yet poisonous, herald of spring is widespread throughout most of Slovenia. However, due to varying climates, terrain, and soil types, it blooms earlier in some places and later in others.

Snowdrops can still be found until mid-April; in snow-covered and higher areas, they bloom even later.

They appear on the edges of forests and forest meadows. Interestingly, they do not thrive on fertilized meadows. They particularly prefer spots along rivers – even in places where the water frequently overflows its banks. However, the snowdrop is not a swimmer! It does not like constant moisture or stagnant water, which is why it is not found in swampy areas.

In the interior of Slovenia, snowdrops tend to stay in lower areas, while in the Alpine valleys of Upper Carniola, you will mostly not find them – there, their cousin, the spring snowflake, is more common.

Snowdrops reproduce both by seeds and by bulbs. From a single bulb, the following year, division can lead to two, then three, five... new bulbs.

The Latin name of the common snowdrop means 'milky flower that grows near the snow.' An old legend says that snow got its color from the snowdrop, as it was the only flower willing to give up its whiteness. This is why it is often the first to bloom among the spring flowers.

Snowdrops are protected in the wild and are on the list of protected species in Slovenia. It is allowed to pick them for a bouquet, but mass picking is prohibited, and digging up their underground parts is strictly forbidden.

DO YOU KNOW?

  1. Snowdrops in folk tradition symbolize hope, contentment, and a sign of belonging to the people to whom they are given.
  2. Snowdrops and spring snowflakes are not supposed to grow together in nature, but exceptions can be found.
  3. Every year, the Snowdrop Festival takes place in Ljubljana.
  4. Slovenian botanists have developed a variety with some green on the white flower, called Ljubljana.
  5. The sequence of bulb multiplication in the common snowdrop is called the Fibonacci sequence.