GALANTHUS 



THE BULB BOOK 



GALANTHUS 



GALANTHUS {gala, milk; anthos, 

 a flower), Snowdhop. Nat. Ord. 

 Amaryllideee.— A genus containing 

 several species of well-known hardy- 

 bulbous plants, with small strap- 

 shaped leaves and drooping flowers, 

 the three outer segments of which are 

 larger, oblong, spoon-shaped, and quite 

 distinct in shape from the three 

 smaller inner ones ; these are obovate, 

 notched in the centre, and usually 

 with a green crescent-shaped blotch. 



Snowdrops are universal favourites, 

 but many people are astonished to 

 learn that there are several species 

 besides our common British one, 

 G. nivalis. Coming into blossom 

 from October to Christmais-time in 

 mUd winters and continuing weU into 

 March, Snowdrops naturally attract 

 attention, as they look so chaste and 

 charming in the midst of general 

 desolation. The tunicated bulbs are 

 comparatively small, rarely exceeding 

 an inch in length, and should be 

 planted as early in the autumn as 

 possible, say early in September, and 

 should be covered with about two or 

 three times their own depth of soil. 

 To secure fine effects it is useless 

 planting two or three bulbs. Hun- 

 dreds, or at least dozens, even in 

 small gardens, should be planted 

 either in the ordinary flower-border 

 or in the rock-garden, the shrubbery, 

 grassy banks, slopes, or lawns, either 

 by themselves or in conjunction with 

 Crocuses, ScLllas,Chionodoxas, Christ- 

 mas Eoses, or Winter Aconites (Uran- 

 this). Beneath deciduous trees and 

 shrubs they look charming, and also 

 when planted in thousands in weU- 

 mown grassland. 



Most Snowdrops flourish in good 

 and well-drained garden soil, and 

 once planted may be left to look 

 after themselves for years. An annual 

 top-dressing of well-decayed manure 

 in autumn will be of great benefit 



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in keeping the s(iil in a fertile 

 condition. 



Some kinds, however, especially 

 those that flower before Christmas, 

 in October, and November, and often 

 G. Elwesi and G. latifolivs, are apt 

 to die out, being probably overcome 

 by the attacks of the Snowdrop 

 fungus {Botrytis galanthina). 



The following kinds of Snowdrops 

 are known and cultivated : — ■ 



G. AUeni. — A native of Asia 

 Minor, and probably a natural hybrid 

 between G. latifoliv^ and G. caitca- 

 sicus, which are from the same region. 

 The flowers, however, are about twice 

 as large as those of G. latifolius, and 

 the broad, arching, blue-green leaves 

 are also larger. 



G. byzantinus has rather large 

 bulbs and broad leaves, somewhat 

 like those of G. plicatus. The flowers 

 have green inner segments, as in G. 

 Elwesi, and often appear in January. 

 {Gard. Chron. 1893, xiii. 226.) 



G. caueasious. — This is a Caucasian 

 form of our Common Snowdrop, from 

 which it differs in having broader 

 leaves, flnaUy 8 to 9 ins. long and 

 I in. broad, and flowers much later. 

 The form known as virescens has the 

 outer segments of the flower flushed 

 with green. This form includes 

 Redoutei, major, caspiiis, and gramdis. 



G. oilioicus resembles G. Fosteri, 

 but flowers rather earlier and has 

 taller flower-stems. It is a somewhat 

 difficult plant to keep. 



G. Elwesi. — A native of Asia Minor, 

 from an altitude of 2000 to 5000 ft., 

 with very glaucous channelled leaves 

 and oblong roundish flowers in Feb- 

 ruary ; the three inner segments are 

 dark green on the lower half and also 

 around the sinus (Bot. Mag. t. 6166). 



The variety globosus has fine 

 roundish flowers, with very broad 

 outer segments, and robitstus has a 

 large bulb and thick glaucous leaves. 



