Chionodoxa nana
Encyclopedia
Chionodoxa nana or Dwarf Glory-of-the-snow is a bulbous
perennial
from Crete
flowering in early spring with flowers in shades of lilac blue. After flowering, it goes into dormancy
until the next spring.
Plants occurring in Crete have at one time or another been put into one of three species: C. albescens (Speta) Rix, C. cretica Boiss. & Heldr. and C. nana (Schult. & Schult. f.) Boiss. & Heldr. Sfikas' Wild flowers of Crete recognizes only two of these (C. cretica and C. nana); the Natural History Museum
's checklist of the Cretan Flora recognizes only one (C. nana, as Scilla nana).
, the bases of the stamen
s are flattened and closely clustered in the middle of the flower. In the related genus Scilla
, the stamens are not flattened or clustered together.
C. nana (including C. cretica) has two leaves per bulb, and at most one flowering stem, with one to five (more commonly three) flowers in a loose raceme
. Individual flowers are up to 2.4 cm diameter with tepals up to 1.1 cm long, most facing upwards, the overall colour effect being some shade of lilac-blue. Sfikas distinguishes between larger forms with bluer flowers occurring below 1700 m, C. cretica, and smaller forms with whitish flowers occurring above 1700 m, C. nana.
C. nana subsp. albescens (synonym C. albescens) has slightly smaller flowers (tepals up to 1 cm long), whitish with lavender to violet-blue tips. It was awarded the RHS
Award of Garden Merit
(H4 – hardy outdoors anywhere in the British Isles) in 2004, subject to availability.
Bulb
A bulb is a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf bases. The leaves often function as food storage organs during dormancy.A bulb's leaf bases, known as scales, generally do not support leaves, but contain food reserves to enable the plant to survive adverse conditions. At the center of the bulb is...
perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
from Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
flowering in early spring with flowers in shades of lilac blue. After flowering, it goes into dormancy
Ephemeral Plant
An ephemeral plant is one marked by short life cycles, usually six to eight weeks. The word ephemeral means transitory or quickly fading. In regards to plants, it refers to several distinct growth strategies...
until the next spring.
Taxonomy
All Chionodoxa species are included in Scilla by some botanists, who do not consider the differences to be sufficient to create a separate genus.Plants occurring in Crete have at one time or another been put into one of three species: C. albescens (Speta) Rix, C. cretica Boiss. & Heldr. and C. nana (Schult. & Schult. f.) Boiss. & Heldr. Sfikas' Wild flowers of Crete recognizes only two of these (C. cretica and C. nana); the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
's checklist of the Cretan Flora recognizes only one (C. nana, as Scilla nana).
Description
Like all members of the genus ChionodoxaChionodoxa
Chionodoxa ' is a small genus of bulbous perennials in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. The genus is endemic to the eastern Mediterranean region, specifically Crete, Cyprus and Turkey. The blue, white or pink flowers appear early in the year making them valuable garden ornamentals...
, the bases of the stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s are flattened and closely clustered in the middle of the flower. In the related genus Scilla
Scilla
Scilla is a genus of about 50 bulb-forming perennial herbs in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to woodlands, subalpine meadows, and seashores throughout Europe and Asia...
, the stamens are not flattened or clustered together.
C. nana (including C. cretica) has two leaves per bulb, and at most one flowering stem, with one to five (more commonly three) flowers in a loose raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
. Individual flowers are up to 2.4 cm diameter with tepals up to 1.1 cm long, most facing upwards, the overall colour effect being some shade of lilac-blue. Sfikas distinguishes between larger forms with bluer flowers occurring below 1700 m, C. cretica, and smaller forms with whitish flowers occurring above 1700 m, C. nana.
C. nana subsp. albescens (synonym C. albescens) has slightly smaller flowers (tepals up to 1 cm long), whitish with lavender to violet-blue tips. It was awarded the RHS
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
Award of Garden Merit
Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit, or AGM, is an award made to garden plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society after a period of assessment by the appropriate committees of the Society...
(H4 – hardy outdoors anywhere in the British Isles) in 2004, subject to availability.