Common Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis L.) and its Diversity in Slovenia / Navadni Mali Zvonček (Galanthus nivalis L.) in Njegova Raznolikost v Sloveniji

About this book

Language: Bilingual in English and Slovene

In Slovenia Galanthus nivalis L. is a widely distributed species, being also the sole representative of the genus. Expansive populations of snowdrops grow on the margins of forests, in forests and non-manured meadows. Slovenia, however, is very diverse in terms of climate, relief, geological and petrographic structures, and flora. All of this is reflected in its division between four phytogeographic regions, Alpine, Dinaric, Subpannonian and Submediterranean, along with a pre-Alpine and a pre-Dinaric transition. This is why I expected to find diversity within the snowdrop species. I was also interested to determine the stability of these varieties. Based on the observation over a number of years, both in the wild and after the transfer of specimens to the Botanic Garden, the varieties were divided into groups with respect to the following: shape of flower, size of plant as a whole, shape of outer and inner perianth segments, number of outer and inner perianth segments, green markings of outer perianth segments, pattern of inner perianth segments, shape and colour of the ovary, spathe, extra bracts, green stem leaves (number, width, colour). The Botanic Garden collection currently includes over 1000 specimens of G. nivalis, among which all aforementioned groups are represented.

Contents

Preface 63
Snowdrops, why not? 63
Abstract 65
Introduction 65
Ecology 67
Collecting 67
Survey of Diversity and Comparison with the Known Cultivars 68
Division into Groups 70
1. Flower shape and size, and number of flowers of a plant as a whole 70
1.1. Characteristics of the flower position and shape within a normal form 71
1.2. Abnormal Flower Shape 71
1.3. Flower Size 72
1.4. Multiflorous 72
2. Shape of Outer Perianth Segments 73
2.1. Normal Perianth Segments 74
2.2. Outer Perianth Segments of Different Lengths 74
3. Shape of Inner Perianth Segments 75
4. Number of Outer and Inner Perianth Segments 76
4.1. Simple Flowers 76
4.2. Double Flowers 78
5. Colouring of Outer Perianth Segments 78
5.1. Green White 79
5.2. Green 81
6. Pattern of Inner Perianth Segments 83
7. Shape and Colour of Ovary 85
8. Spathe and Bracts 86
8.1. Spathe 86
8.2. Extra Bracts 86
9. Green Leaves 88
9.1. Number 88
9.2. Width and colour 89
Survey of Single Diversities 89
Stability of Single Anomalies 93
Stable Varieties 93
Less Stable Varieties 93
Acknowledgements 94
Literature 95

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