Snowdrops

One of the first flowers to bloom every year in the DC area are the snowdrops. The little white flowers bloom in late winter – often before the snow has melted.

Members of the Amaryllis family, snowdrops were originally native to much of Europe – from the Pyrannes to Turkey. They have naturalized in gardens and woodded areas throughout the world. Some varieties of snowdrops are now threatened in the wild in their native enviroments. Under the CITES rules (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), it is illegal to trade any quantity of wild snowdrops without a permit.

Snowdrops would be easy to identify even if they weren’t one of the few flowers blooming at that time of year. Growing from bulbs, they have two or three leaves and a flowering stalk with one white flower at the top of the stalk. Each white flower has six tepals – the outer three are completely white. The inner three are shorter than the outer three, and have a green arch-shaped spot.

The most common variety of snowdrops are the galanthus nivalis grows to about 6 inches tall and bloom as early as January. The Giant Snowdrops (Galanthus elwesii) bloom at about the same time and grow to about 10 inches tall.

I don’t know about anyone else – but I’m always happy to see the snowdrops blooming – it means spring is on its way.