The image is of snowdrops growing in the ‘woodland’ area of the garden at the Bath House, and so natural do they seem that it may come as a surprise to learn the snowdrop is not truly native to the UK. It was introduced from Europe and Asia Minor, perhaps into monastery gardens, and then naturalised widely. John Gerard’s ‘Great Herbal’ of 1597 called the plant a ‘bulbous violet’, and states: “These plants do grow wild in Italie and places adjacent, notwithstanding our London gardens have taken possession of them all, many years past.” In the 1633 edition, the plant name was corrected to snowdrop, the first printed reference to the common name.
Galanthus means milk-white flowers, from the flower-head’s resemblance to three drops of milk. In the 17th century, the great botanist Linnaeus included Galanthus in his classification of plants, and added nivalis, meaning snowy.
Trade in snowdrops is regulated and they should never be dug up from the wild. Most nurseries raise them by artificial propagation or from seed.
Medicinal uses
All parts of the plant are POISONOUS if eaten.
However, extracts from snowdrops have proved useful in some medical conditions. They contain an alkaloid, galantamine, which is approved in several countries, including the UK, for managing Alzheimer’s disease; and has been used to treat nervous system injuries. Galantamine, found in daffodils and other plants as well as in snowdrops, can also be made synthetically.
Myth and Magic
As the first sign of spring, the snowdrop symbolises purity – a clean start to the new season – and was associated with the ancient Christian festival of purification, Candlemas (2nd February). However, other folk superstitions said that it brought bad luck, even death, and some people would not have the flower in their houses. Possibly this was because it often grows in abundance in church graveyards, or because the closed flower-head resembles a shroud. Yet other beliefs were more positive, the snowdrop being a symbol of life triumphing over death as the flowers broke through the barren winter ground.
Some European names: French ‘perce-neige’ – snow piercer; German ‘schneeglöckchen’ – little snow bell; Spanish ‘campanillo de febrero’ – February bell.
The snowdrop has been assumed by some to be the magical herb ‘moly’ mentioned around 3,000 years ago in Homer’s Odyssey, which was given by the gods to Odysseus to counteract the ‘poison of forgetfulness’ administered by the witch Circe. There have been many other suggested identifications of the herb, but the snowdrop one is particularly appealing in the light of our modern knowledge about galantamine.
Acknowledgements Thanks for some of the above information to:
http://www.thepoisongarden.co.uk
http://www.theflowerexpert.com
http://www.kew.org
http://www.ecoenchantments.co.uk
