Dwarf Glory of the Snow

When walking across the UEA campus this afternoon, I stumbled across a patch of dazzling daffodils, and nestled amongst this carpet of yellow, I saw two or three small plants, with dark lilac-purple star-shaped flowers. I had no idea what they were, however upon consulting the powers of the internet, I discovered that they were in fact "Dwarf Glory of the Snow"...

Dwarf Glory of the Snow (picture taken 23/03/17)

Clade - Angiosperms

Order - Asparagales

Family - Asparagaceae

Genus - Chionodoxa

Species - C. nana

Chionodoxa are small bulbous, perennial plants that are native to the eastern Mediterranean region, including countries such as Turkey, Cyprus and Crete. C. nana is endemic to Crete. These plants can thrive under deciduous woodland canopies, under hedgerows, on wasteland and in meadows. They flower early in the year, with flowers being visible throughout March and into April. The flowers of C. nana are often light lilac-blue in colour, and actinomorphic (meaning they have radial symmetry). Their flowers look like small, blue-lilac star-shapes. After flowering, these plants go into a state of dormancy until the next year. 

The Dwarf Glory of the Snow grows to a height of approx. 15cm, whilst their star-shaped flowers may have up to a 3cm diameter and with be borne in clusters of 2-3 on a leafless stem. They take around 2-5 years to reach their optimum height. They grow best in chalky, clayey or sandy loam soils which are well-drained. C. nana has 2 leaves per bulb with at most 5 flowers. In sufficient light, the flowers of C. nana can bloom for anything up to approx. 4 weeks.

Flowers of the genus Chionodoxa were probably introduced to the UK for horticultural purposes, and as ornamental garden plants, as when planted together in high-density, they do look rather stunning! Such garden plants have naturalised outside of their native range, and that includes plants in the UK, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. These plants are very rarely affected by pests or diseases, making them an attractive option for gardeners.