Leucojum aestivum Summer Snowflake PFAF Plant Database

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Leucojum aestivum - L.

Common Name

Summer Snowflake

Family

Amaryllidaceae

Synonyms

Known Hazards

None known

Habitats

Marshes, wet meadows and willow thickets, avoiding acid soils[17].

Range

Europe, including Britain, from France south and east to Spain, Greece, the Crimea and Iran.

Edibility Rating

Medicinal Rating

Care

Summary

Physical Characteristics

Leucojum aestivum is a BULB growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in) by 0.1 m (0ft 4in).
It is hardy to zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in flower in May, and the seeds ripen in July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.

Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leucojum_aestivum_Sturm48.jpg

biolib.de

Habitats
Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Meadow; Bog Garden;

Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Root. Edible Uses: Bulb - cooked[105]. I have some reservations about this report, though no records of the plant being poisonous have been found so far.

Medicinal Uses
Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally. None known

Other Uses
None known

Cultivation details

Easily grown in ordinary garden soil[1]. It does well in a moist heavy soil in full sun or partial shade[1, 17, 31, 90] and is happy in water-logged conditions[90]. The dormant bulbs are fairly hardy and will withstand soil temperatures down to at least -5°c[214]. Plants can be naturalized in damp rough grass[200]. Flowers are produced within 4 - 5 years from seed. The seedpods are swollen and filled with air so that they can be dispersed by floating in water[90]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[233].

Propagation

The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a well-drained soil in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 2 - 3 months cold stratification, it should then germinate in 2 - 4 weeks at 10°c[134]. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings can be allowed to grow on undisturbed in the pots for their first year of growth. Give them an occasional weak liquid feed to ensure that they do not become nutrient deficient. Pot up the small bulbs when dormant, planting 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for another 2 - 3 years before planting them out. Division of offsets in September/October. It is best done as soon as the foliage ripens[1]. Scooping the bulbs.

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Expert comment

Author
L.

Botanical References
17200

Links / References

[1]F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956

Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[17]Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles.

A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[31]Brown. Shade Plants for Garden and Woodland.

[90]Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs

Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.

[105]Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.

The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[134]Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2.

Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.

[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.

Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[214]Matthews. V. The New Plantsman. Volume 1, 1994.

A quarterly magazine, it has articles on Himalayacalamus hookerianus, hardy Euphorbias and an excellent article on Hippophae spp.

[233]Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants

A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

Readers comment

Elizabeth H.
Lydia Baker	Wed Jan 19 16:54:58 2005

I found this plant the other day and it was blooming all ready Place found: Anderson SC 29625 in a woodland area Time found: 1/18/05 at 4:50pm Soil: moist red clay Temp: around 40 degrees.

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