Galanthus elwesii
{{Short description|Species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Galanthus elwesii, flower.jpg
|status = DD
|status_system = IUCN3.1
| status2 = CITES_A2
| status2_system = CITES
| status2_ref = {{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2024-01-17|website=cites.org}}
| genus = Galanthus
| species = elwesii
| authority = Hook.f.
| synonyms =
{{collapsible list
|bullets = true
|title=Synonyms
| Chianthemum elwesii (Hook.f.) Kuntze
| Chianthemum graecum (Orph. ex Boiss.) Kuntze
| Galanthus bulgaricus Velen. nom. inval.
| Galanthus globosus Burb.
| Galanthus gracilis subsp. baytopii Zeybek
| Galanthus graecus Orph. ex Boiss.
| Galanthus maximus Velen.
| Galanthus melihae (Zeybek) E.Sauer & Zeybek
| Galanthus nivalis subsp. elwesii (Hook.f.) Gottl.-Tann.
}}
}}
File:Galanthus elwesii Hooker 1875.jpg, Curtis's Botanical Magazine 1875{{sfn|Hooker|1875}}]]
Galanthus elwesii, Elwes's snowdrop or greater snowdrop, is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to the Balkans and Asia Minor, where it is found in the countries of Bosnia, Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Moldova, Ukraine and Turkey.
This herbaceous perennial plant grows to {{convert|20-25|cm|in|abbr=on}} high. It grows from a globose bulb, 2–3 cm in diameter. It produces two leaves which are obtuse, linear, and blue-green in colour. The flowers are globose, white, pendulous, 2–3 cm long, and solitary at the tip of a solid, pointed scape. The outer floral tepals are oblanceolate, with shorter inner tepals that are emarginate (notched at the apex), tapering towards their base with green patches apically and basally (see illustrations). The fruit forms a dehiscent capsule with three valves. Overall Galanthus elwesii is a more robust plant than G. nivalis.{{sfn|Hooker|1875}}{{sfn|Dimitri|1987}}{{sfn|Hessayon|1995}}
Taxonomy
Galanthus elwesii was identified by the British botanist Henry John Elwes on a visit to Turkey in 1874. In early April, whilst in the mountains near Smyrna (modern Izmir), he came across "the fine large snowdrop which now bears my name". It was then formally described by Joseph Dalton Hooker (1875) and named Galanthus elwesii, with an illustration by W H Fitch in Curtis's Botanical Magazine. Thus the species bears his name as the botanical authority.{{sfn|Hooker|1875}} Later the plants collected by Elwes were found to be Galanthus gracilis, but the name was retained for a different specimen.{{sfn|Harland|2016}}{{sfn|Harvey|2000}}
Distribution
A native of the Balkans and Asia Minor, the species has been widely introduced elsewhere.
Cultivation
Galanthus elwesii is grown as an ornamental plant in gardens where it easily naturalises. Bulbs planted in the autumn flower in the early spring. Propagation is by separation of bulbils after flowering.{{sfn|Dimitri|1987}}{{sfn|Hessayon|1995}}
In the UK, the following have received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:
- Galanthus elwesii{{cite web|work=RHS Plant Selector |title=Galanthus elwesii |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/7556/Galanthus-elwesii/Details |access-date=7 July 2020}}
- Galanthus elwesii 'Comet'{{cite web|work=RHS Plant Selector |title=Galanthus elwesii 'Comet' |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/155810/Galanthus-elwesii-Comet/Details |access-date=7 July 2020}}
- Galanthus elwesii var. monostictus{{cite web|work=RHS Plant Selector |title=Galanthus elwesii var. monostictus |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/134063/Galanthus-elwesii-var-monostictus/Details |access-date=7 July 2020}}
References
Bibliography
{{Commons|position=left}}
{{refbegin|30em}}
- {{cite book |last=Davis |first=Aaron |year=1999 |title=The genus Galanthus |series=A Botanical Magazine monograph |url=https://archive.org/details/genusgalanthus00davi |url-access=registration |publisher=Timber Press |location=Portland, Oregon |isbn=0-88192-431-8 }}
- {{cite journal|last1=Harvey|first1=M.J.|title=Davis: The genus Galanthus|journal=Botanical Electronic News|date=21 May 2000|issue=250|url=http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ben250.html|format=Book Review}}
- {{cite book|last1=Dimitri|first1=M|title=Enciclopedia Argentina de Agricultura y Jardinería. Tomo I. Descripción de plantas cultivadas|date=1987|publisher=Editorial ACME S.A.C.I.|location=Buenos Aires}} see Enciclopedia Argentina de Agricultura y Jardinería
- {{cite book|last1=Harland|first1=Gail|isbn=9781780236285|title=Snowdrop|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lzOHDAAAQBAJ|publisher=Reaktion Books|location=London|date=2016}}
- {{cite book|last1=Hessayon|first1=D.G.|title=The bulb expert|date=1995|publisher=Sterling Publishing Company (Expert Books)|location=London|isbn=9780903505420|edition=2003|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AiqwEuYyx-oC}}
- {{cite journal|last1=Hooker|first1=Joseph Dalton|authorlink=Joseph Dalton Hooker|title=Galanthus elwesii|journal=Curtis's Botanical Magazine|date=1875|volume=31|page=6166|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/14229#page/101/mode/1up}}
- {{cite journal|last1=Yüzbaşıoğlu|first1=Sırrı|title=Morphological variations of Galanthus elwesii in Turkey and difficulties on identification|journal=Bocconea|date=2012|volume=24|pages=335–339|url=http://147.163.105.223/bocconea/24-335.pdf|access-date=2016-10-12|archive-date=2022-10-09|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://147.163.105.223/bocconea/24-335.pdf|url-status=dead}}
- {{cite web|title=The Plant List: a working list of all known plant species. Version: 1.1|url=http://www.theplantlist.org/|publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden|date=September 2013|ref={{harvid|TPL|2013}}}}
- {{cite web|last1=MBG|authorlink=Missouri Botanical Garden|title=Missouri Botanical Garden|url=http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/|access-date=7 October 2016}}
- {{cite web|title=Tropicos|url=http://www.tropicos.org/Home.aspx|publisher=Missouri Botanical Garden|access-date=30 December 2015|ref={{harvid|Tropicos}}}}
- {{cite web |title=World Checklist of Selected Plant Families |publisher=The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |url=http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/home.do |access-date=6 October 2016 |ref={{harvid|WCLSPF|2016}} }}
{{refend}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q224586}}