The author of the text is MSc. Barbara Bogacz
Towards the end of winter, we all look forward to all signs of spring coming. We listen to the singing of birds, check whether the buds sleeping on the branches of trees and shrubs are already awake and swell in winter, we look into the forest in search of a blooming hazel …
Long cats hanging from twigs are already a symptom of the approaching slow steps of spring.When wandering in the forest, it is also worth looking down and checking if sometimes small, charming, milky-white flowers surrounded by gray-green leaves don't get past the snow.
Snowdrop owes its generic name Galanthus to these milky-white flowers. Linnaeus, who gave this beautiful plant its name, reached back to the Greek language.In this language the word gala means milk and anthos flower.The rest of the species name nivalis comes from Latin and means snow. It was assigned to the first segment of the generic name because of the flowering time.
The current Polish name - snowdrop snowdrop - reflects the aura that accompanies the blooming of snowdrops even more clearly. Together with the hazel, they indicate the arrival of early spring.In Poland, snowdrop occurs mainly in the south, in the mountains, in the highlands and in Lower Silesia.It can be found less often in Wielkopolska and Podlasie.
This little plant has a very interesting biology. It is worth getting to know her in order to know later how to proceed with the cultivation of snowdrops.Their flowering period is varied.Depends on the climatic conditions of the habitats of these plants, located at different altitudes above sea level.In the lowlands, snowdrops bloom already in mid-February, while growing at an altitude of about 800 m above sea level. in mid-March. Blooming so early, they become an important food source for bees.
Playful green spots on the inner leaves of the perianth and a pleasant smell spreading around the plant attract and guide insects to the inside of the flower. They also photosynthesize, providing nutrients to the rest of the flower and the resulting seed ovules.After flowering, a bag with seeds develops.
After fading, snowdrop leaves turn yellow, fold and die, leaving no trace behind. Before turning yellow, the leaves provide the bulbs with a good amount of nutrients for the formation of a new shoot, which develops even before winter. After waiting out the winter, just below the ground, when the sun is quite high and heats the ground under the still leafless trees, snowdrops bloom quickly.
White as snow
Thanks to this feature, these plants can be rushed. Bulbs planted in pots in September, kept outside during the winter, are moved to a room with a temperature of around 10˚C in January. After about 3 weeks, we have flowering plants.
These are not all the secrets that a snowdrop hides.It is worth knowing that it is a poisonous plant that contains harmful alkaloids in all its parts.After eating it, you may lose consciousness, accelerate the heart rate and breathing not only in humans, but also in pets . However, like all poisonous plants, it is a valuable herbal material.
The snowdrop is used to make preparations used in the treatment of neurological diseases.It may also be helpful in treating Alzheimer's disease.Snowdrop also has antiviral properties.
