Galanthus nivalis L. for Lousat

Photo Information

(2454)

Genre: Plants

Medium: Color

Date Taken: 2008-02-06

Categories: Flowers

Exposure: f/2.7, 1/60 seconds

More Photo Info: [view]

Photo Version: Original Version

Date Submitted: 2008-02-16 3:03

Viewed: 5036

Points: 74

[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note

Galanthus nivalis L.

The common snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) is the best-known representative of a small genus of about 20 species in the family Amaryllidaceae that are among the first bulbs to bloom in spring.

Snowdrops should not be confused with their relatives snowflakes, Leucojum species; leucojums are much larger and flower in spring (or early summer, depending on the species), with all six petals in the flower the same size, though it should be noted that some "poculiform" (slipper-shaped) Galanthus can have inner segments similar in length to the outer ones.

Description
All species of Galanthus have bulbs, linear leaves, and erect flowering stalks, destitute of leaves but bearing at the top a solitary pendulous bell-shaped flower. Galanthus nivalis grows 15 cm tall, flowering in January or February in the northern temperate zone. The white flower has six petals, the outer three segments being larger and more convex than the inner series. The six anthers open by pores or short slits. The ovary is three-celled, ripening into a three-celled capsule.

Propagation is by offset bulbs, either by careful division of clumps in full growth ("in the green"), or removed when the plants are dormant, immediately after the leaves have withered; or by seeds sown either when ripe, or in spring. Professional growers and keen amateurs also use such methods as "twin-scaling" to increase the stock of choice cultivars (cultivated varieties) quickly.

Double-flowered forms such as Galanthus nivalis f. pleniflorus 'Flore Pleno' may be less attractive to the eye of the purist. There are numerous cultivars, single and double, differing particularly in the size and markings of the flower, the period of flowering, and other characteristics of interest to keen (even fanatical) collectors known as "galanthophiles".

Other notable species:

Crimean snowdrop, Galanthus plicatus, 30 cm tall, flowering January/March, white flowers, with broad leaves folded back at the edges
Giant snowdrop, Galanthus elwesii, a native of the Levant, 23 cm tall, flowering January/February, with large flowers, the three inner segments of which often have a much larger and more conspicuous green blotch (or blotches) than the more common kinds.

Active substances
It was suggested by Duvoisin in 1983 that the mysterious magical herb moly that appears in Homer's Odyssey is actually snowdrop. An active substance in snowdrop is called galantamine, which, as anticholinesterase, could have acted as an antidote to Circe's poisons. Galantamine (or galanthamine) can be helpful in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, though it is not a cure; the substance also occurs naturally in daffodils and other narcissi.

Cultivars of Galanthus nivalis

Single flowered cultivars
* Galanthus nivalis Poculiformis Group - inner segments are almost same length and shape as outer ones, usually unmarked and without a "sinus" (notch); includes such cultivars as 'Sandhill Gate'
* G. nivalis Sandersii Group - marks on inner segments are yellow instead of green; includes 'Sandersii' and 'Lutescens'
* G. nivalis Scharlockii Group - "donkey's ears snowdrop" with elongated spathe split down centre, resembling upright ears

Double-flowered cultivars
* G. nivalis f. pleniflorus 'Blewbury Tart' - curious, untidy, upward- or outward-facing flowers with dark green markings in the centre
* G. nivalis f. pleniflorus 'Flore Pleno' - doubles, usually quite untidy rosettes of extra segments of uneven length
* G. nivalis f. pleniflorus 'Lady Elphinstone' - a version of 'Flore Pleno' with yellowish colouring inside the flowers instead of green; may revert or vary from year to year
* G. nivalis f. pleniflorus 'Pusey Green Tip' - with small green tips to the outer segments.

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Asparagales
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Genus: Galanthus
Species: Galanthus nivalis L.

Source: Wikipedia

I'd like to dedicate this pic to my TN friend: Luciano Gollini (lousat)! Spero ti piacera!

boreocypriensis, haraprasan, Alex99, spalaxtr, Adanac, MMM, jcoowanitwong, jpdenk, jusninasirun, nirmalroberts, cataclysta, fiyo, zulfu, xTauruSx, SelenE, JORAPAVI, rkailas, clnaef, nkasot, bahadir, dejo has marked this note useful
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Discussions
Thread	Thread Starter	Messages	Updated
To cataclysta: HI	Ena	2	02-20 06:08
To lousat: bene	Ena	1	02-19 07:59
To Silvio2006: la prossima a te	Ena	2	02-16 10:06
To jignasi: thanx	Ena	1	02-16 07:41
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Critiques [Translate]

boreocypriensis (9571)
[2008-02-16 3:15]

Hello Ena,
A wonderful capture of this beautiful flower friend with excelent photography!
TFS my friend!
Have a nice weekend!

Cheers,
Bayram

Ishi (13387)
[2008-02-16 3:16]

Lovely, Ena.

So spring is almost there , too...

Excellent detailed note!

TFS!

ishi

Silvio2006 (102073)
[2008-02-16 3:22]
[+]

Ciao Ena, semplice e delicata, nitida e ben composta, l'unico difetto � che l'hai dedicata a Luciano e non a me, aspetto la prossima:)
Buon week end, ciao Silvio

haraprasan (20403)
[2008-02-16 3:49]

Hi Ena,
A nice capture of this lovely snow drop flower. Very well composed with very good details. It seems you went very low on the ground to get it. A very good dedication for our flower expert friend Luciano. He would surely love this one. Thanks a lot for sharing.

mariki (9477)
[2008-02-16 3:56]

Hello Ena,

Very nice picture and dedication to Luciano. Very nice POV. Good sharpness. Beautiful light and colours.
Cheers,
Mariki

jignasi (27917)
[2008-02-16 4:46]
[+]

Hola Ena, una bonita y delicada toma en todos los aspectos. L�stima del color blanco de la corola que est� demasiado expuesto. Quiz� el 1/60 de tiempo de exposici�n fu� muy elevado. Sigue haciendo pruebas y variando el tiempo de exposici�n hasta conseguir mejor resultado.
Un abrazo: J. Ignasi

amcolli (392)
[2008-02-16 8:48]

hello ena, splendid picture! bravissima
anna

gondox (1585)
[2008-02-16 9:31]

Hi Ena!

It's been long since we met here. Fantastic shot, very much alive, with perfect wb and superb composition. The white surface of the flower is very much detailed by lights. Very nice work, TFS!

Best regards,
Andor

Dis. Ac. (24509)
[2008-02-16 10:09]

Hi Ena,

This flower looks overexpoxed upon my laptop,
Low by the ground scenery, good conposition.

Regards Gert

Clapclap (229)
[2008-02-16 10:47]

Hello Ena
nella tua foto l'annuncio della primavera ormai prossima. Un bel soggetto con buona luce e colori nitidi e delicati. Brava.
Ivan

Alex99 (23735)
[2008-02-16 11:36]

Hi Ena.
Very cute shot of first flower. I like vivid colours and many attractive details of the plant and scenery at whole. DOF is selected perfectly only composition of the image is disputable a bit. TFS and kind regards.
Alexei.

azleader (931)
[2008-02-16 13:52]

Nice macro... good framing, color and lighting. Depth of field is good and the BG is nice and smooth. Very pretty.

Oh... I'll be careful not to confuse the nivalis with the leucojums! That would be a horrible mistake. LOL!!! Heck, I don't know the first thing about either plant. I'm going to have to get smarter about botany. :)

spalaxtr (5868)
[2008-02-17 6:43]

Hi Ena,
Very nice close up. Beutiful flower and excellent details. Well done. TFS. Regards,
Mustafa

EOSF1 (23955)
[2008-02-17 7:47]

Hello Ena, good shot of this beautiful flower,well done, thanks!

Mario

flashpoint (28008)
[2008-02-17 9:27]

ciao Ena,
mi associo a Silvio..hai scelto la persona
sbagliata per la dedica!!!
la primavera a Sarajevo si mostra bene

buona serata sERGIO

maurydv (36428)
[2008-02-17 14:38]

Bella e nitida immagine con un'ottima composizione e un POV radente che esprime bene il risveglio della natura. Complimenti. Ciao Maurizio

Adanac (21378)
[2008-02-17 22:59]

Hello Ena,
Outstanding image of this spring flower emerging from the soil. This is beautiful Ena, thank you.
Rick

Dando (3084)
[2008-02-18 9:00]

Nice snowdrop, excellent details, colour and light. Nice work and TFS.

Dean.

rousettus (19818)
[2008-02-18 9:47]

merhaba Ena,
very beautiful Galanthus species and its great macro. Great details and sharpness. white balance, composition and colors very nice. TFS, well done.
Ahmet

MMM (11425)
[2008-02-18 10:21]

Hello Ena
Nice presentation.Good POV and sharp image.Good details and nice OOF BG.
TFS Michel

jcoowanitwong (13754)
[2008-02-18 21:32]

Hello Ena,
Lovely flower. Seem that the flower just freshly bloom. Beautiful seeing at eye level. Nice pov and composition. TFS,
JC

jpdenk (333)
[2008-02-18 21:49]

Hi Ena,

I like this composition, evokes Spring and the resurgence of plant life that happens every year.

Thanks,
John

lousat (65489)
[2008-02-19 2:12]
[+]

Ciao Ena,scusa se ti rispondo in ritardo ma ho il pc rotto e sto scrivendo da quello di mio fratello,la foto e' bellissima,il bocciolo e' un vero simbolo di primavera,ti ringrazio molto per la dedica,tornero' presto sul sito,buona settimana,Luciano.

jusninasirun (14660)
[2008-02-19 7:22]

Hello Ena,

Wonderful dedication for Lousat. Excellent composition in pleasant lighting. Superb sharpness and details and thanks for showing this one that I have never seen before.

Regards,
Jusni

nirmalroberts (2857)
[2008-02-20 1:51]

Hi Ena,
Very nice composition. TFS.
- Nirmal

cataclysta (5666)
[2008-02-20 3:42]
[+]

Hi Ena
Very nice, natural spring shot. Great vivid green, nice composition and good note. Good OOF background
I like it very much
Best wishes
Krzysztof

fiyo (15161)
[2008-02-20 15:21]

Fantastic shot Ena,lovely detail and colours,nice composition.
Nice work,very well done.

zulfu (43)
[2008-02-21 3:09]

Selam Ena
Nice close-up capture. Beautifull flower with excellent details. TFS. Regards,
Mehmet

xTauruSx (788)
[2008-02-21 4:09]

Hello Ena,
Superb closeup of this flower. The detail and focus is fantastic.. great color too! nice composition!
TFS
Greetings,
Deniz

SelenE (13972)
[2008-02-21 22:55]

Hi Ena,
Nice capture of this beautiful flower. TFS
Best wishes,
Selen

Mana (18598)
[2008-02-22 5:37]

Hi Ena,
Wonderful shot of this tiny but beautiful flower. Great lighting and exposure with very impressive sharpness. I like your low POV and the natural surrounding. Very nicely composed. Kudos.
TFS.
Sumon

JORAPAVI (4643)
[2008-02-22 13:15]

Hola Ena,
Bonita composici�n de esta bella planta, excelente definici�n donde se muestran muy bien los detalles, agradable luz y fondo. Buean nota informativa. Saludos
Jos� Ram�n

rkailas (799)
[2008-02-23 0:19]

Hi Ena

I really like your POV on this one. The light seemed a tad harsh, but I really like the way the flower 'glows' in it!

TFS and Best
Ravi

clnaef (6814)
[2008-02-29 1:50]

Bonjour,
Jolie fleur de printemps pleine de finesse.
Bonne journ�e.
clnaef

nkasot (217)
[2008-03-03 13:29]

Hi Ena, A perfect image. All is perfect; composition colors details contrast, all is beautiful. TFS.
Cheers,
Nazım

bahadir (723)
[2008-03-04 9:22]

Hi Ena,
Another perfect capture of this beautiful yellow flower. TFS.
Greetings,
Bahadır

dejo (2242)
[2008-03-25 0:52]

Ciao Ena,
super slika,
odlicna perspektiva & ostrina
:)

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Galanthus nivalis L. for Lousat

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