Flora of North America species comparison

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Leucojum

nivéole, snowflake
Habit Herbs, perennial, scapose, from brown, globose to ovoid, tunicate bulb.
Leaves

several;

blade linear-ligulate, base sheathing.
Scape

stout, hollow [slender, solid].
Inflorescences

umbellate, 2–5(–7)-flowered, spathaceous;

spathe bracts 2, free or entirely adnate on 1 side, appearing monophyllous.
Flowers

nodding;

perianth campanulate;

tepals 6, distinct, oblanceolate to ovate, equal;

stamens 6, distinct;

anthers basifixed, conic, longer than filaments, blunt apically, dehiscing by terminal pores;

ovary inferior, green, 3-locular, globose, septal nectaries present;

style filiform or clavate, exceeding anthers;

stigma minutely capitate.
Fruits

capsular, erect, pyriform to subglobose, dehiscence loculicidal;

pericarp somewhat fleshy.
Seeds

numerous, black, appendages absent.
x

= 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.

Leucojum
Distribution
from USDA
c Europe; sw Europe; nw Africa; and sw Asia (Armenia, Crimea) [Introduced in North America; introduced elsewhere]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Species ca. 10 (1 in the flora).

Several species of Leucojum are cultivated for their flowers. Although other species such as L. autumnale Linnaeus (autumn snowflake) and L. vernum Linnaeus (spring snowflake) may persist in old gardens, only the commonly cultivated L. aestivum (summer snowflake) is known definitely to be naturalized in the flora. There are unconfirmed reports that L. vernum is naturalized in the panhandle area of Florida.

Leucojum is sometimes confused with Galanthus, a spring-flowering, Eurasian relative, but it differs in that Leucojum has perianth segments that are all equal in size, and hollow stems that are usually taller and bear 2–5 flowers. In the southern states, the common name snowdrop, which usually refers to Galanthus species, is applied to Leucojum.

Leaves and bulbs of Leucojum contain the alkaloids lycorine and galanthamine, and are poisonous.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 293. Authors: Gerald B. Straley†, Frederick H. Utech.
Parent taxa Liliaceae
Subordinate taxa
L. aestivum
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 289. (1753): Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 140. (1754)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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