This Month's Plant
January
Snowdrop - Galanthus nivalis
Now that the days are getting longer Snowdrops
are starting to appear in the Physic
Garden.
They may be found in clumps pushing up
through the grass in the orchard and opening into pendulous bell-shaped white flowers.
Galanthus nivalis is the common snowdrop. It
is the best-known and most widespread of the 20 species in its genus. The
generic name was given by Linnaeus taken from the Greek gala (milk) and anthos
(flower) and nivalis meaning 'of the snow'.
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. It is widely
grown in gardens, particularly in Northern Europe
and is widely naturalised in woodlands in the regions where it is grown.
It is a perennial, herbaceous plant which
grows from a bulb. Each bulb produces two linear greyish-green leaves and an
erect flowering stalk about 7-15 cm tall. This bears a solitary bell shaped
white flower held on a slender pedicel. These flowers are characterised by six
tepals, the outer three are larger and more convex than the inner three which
are marked with an inverted green V. Flowering takes place between January and
April.
Snowdrops contain an active substance called
galantamine which is used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.