Snowflake (botany)
|
|
| Snowflakes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Spring Snowflake (Leucojum vernum) | ||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| Species | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| Cultivars | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| Former species of Leucojum | ||||||||||||
|
(now reclassified as Acis)
|
Spring Snowflake (Leucojum vernum) and Summer Snowflake (Leucojum aestivum) are members of the Amaryllidaceae family. They are the only species currently classified in the genus Leucojum.
The snowflakes are native to southern Europe, but they have been introduced and have naturalized in many other areas, including the east coast of North America. The flowers are small and bell-shaped, white with a green (or occasionally yellow) spot at the end of each petal. They have a slight fragrance.
Acis
Several former members of the genus, characterised by their narrow leaves, solid stems and unmarked flowers, have recently (July 2004) been reclassified as genus Acis. Most are autumn-flowering and prefer drier soils than Leucojum species. Leucojum autumnale, Leucojum nicaeënse, Leucojum roseum, etc. should now be referred to as Acis autumnalis, Acis nicaeënsis, Acis rosea, etc.
Leucojum_aestivum5.jpg
References
- Dolores Lledo, Aaron Davis, Manuel Crespo, Mark Chase and Michael Fay. "Phylogenetic analysis of Leucojum and Galanthus (Amaryllidaceae) based on plastid matK and nuclear ribosomal spacer (ITS) DNA sequences and morphology". Plant Systematics and Evolution (July 2004).de:Frühlings-Knotenblume