Leucojum aestivum
L.
Summer Snowflake
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(c) Markus Ackermann, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Markus Ackermann
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(c) Сергей, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Сергей
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(c) jenninthewild, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
Leucojum aestivum is a BULB growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in) by 0.1 m (0ft 4in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in flower in May, and the seeds ripen in July. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is 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 (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.
Edible Uses
Bulb - cooked. I have some reservations about this report, though no records of the plant being poisonous have been found so far.
Distribution
Europe, including Britain, from France south and east to Spain, Greece, the Crimea and Iran.
Where It Grows
TEMPERATE ASIA: Iran (north), Turkey (north), Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia (Ciscaucasia), Georgia EUROPE: United Kingdom, Ireland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Ukraine (Krym), Former Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy (incl. Sardinia), Romania, Spain (incl. Baleares), France (incl. Corsica)
Cultivation
Easily grown in ordinary garden soil. It does well in a moist heavy soil in full sun or partial shade and is happy in water-logged conditions. The dormant bulbs are fairly hardy and will withstand soil temperatures down to at least -5°c. Plants can be naturalized in damp rough grass. 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. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits.
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. 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. Scooping the bulbs.
