Leucojum aestivum

Leucojum aestivum, commonly called summer snowflake or Loddon lily (see River Loddon), is a plant species widely cultivated as an ornamental. It is native to most of Europe from Spain and Ireland to Ukraine, with the exception of Scandinavia, Russia, Belarus and the Baltic Republics. It is also considered native to Turkey, Iran and the Caucasus. It is naturalized in Denmark, South Australia, New South Wales, Nova Scotia and much of the eastern United States.

Leucojum aestivum is a perennial bulbous plant, generally 35–60 cm tall, but some forms reach 90 cm. Its leaves, which are well developed at the time of flowering, are strap-shaped, 5–20 mm wide, reaching to about the same height as the flowers. The flowering stem (scape) is hollow and has wings with translucent margins. The pendant flowers appear in late spring and are borne in umbels of usually three to five, sometimes as many as seven. The flower stalks (pedicels are of different lengths, 25–70 mm long. The flowers are about 3–4 cm in diameter and have six white tepals, each with a greenish mark just below the tip. The black seeds are 5–7 mm long.

After flowering, the fruits develop flotation chambers but remain attached to the stem. In England, it has been recorded that flooding causes the stems to break and the fruits to be carried downstream and stranded in river debris or on flood-plains. The bulbs can also be transported during heavy floods and deposited on river banks.

Leucojum aestivum - Wikipedia

 

 

Distribution: The native status of this British wild flower has been disputed, but it has certainly existed in the south of England in the wild for many hundreds of years. It is also listed as 'native' by the Botanical Society of the British Isles .

Habitat: It grows in damp soils (can even be boggy) in sun or shade

Description: Perennial. It is twice as tall (20-40cm) as the common Snowdrop and flowers from April to May. The nodding, white flowers are like large Snowdrops.

Wildlife: The flowers are attractive to bees.

The bulbs should be planted as soon as you receive them. They are best planted where they can be left undisturbed. If the earth is frozen solid, then you’ll need to wait until it is crumbly again. If you do need to wait for a couple of days, sink the bulbs in some damp compost in a sheltered place until the soil is crumbly again.

 

Summer snow drop (Leucojum aestivum) | Latin: Leucojum aesti… | Flickr