Common Name: Summer Snowflake

General Information

Leucojum aestivum is a perennial plant growing from a bulb around 20 - 40mm in diameter; it produces a cluster of grass-like leaves and a flowering stem around 30 - 60cm tall[, ]. The plant can spread by bulb division to form large clumps[].
The plant is possibly harvested from the wild for local use as a food and is harvested in large quantities for medicinal use. This is one of several species that are cultivated on a commercial scale for the extraction of the alkaloid 'galantamine', a substance used medicinally in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and also to treat several other conditions[]. The plant is widely grown as an ornamental, valued especially for its late winter and spring flowers[].
Leucojum aestivum is fairly common and the threats it is facing are unlikely to cause its decline in the near future. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2014)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Western Europe to western Asia - Germany to France, east to Turkey, the Caucasus and Iran

Habitat

Marshes, wet meadows and willow thickets, avoiding acid soils[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Bulb
Height	0.40 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Leucojum aestivum is a fairly hardy plant and will withstand soil temperatures down to at least -5°c[].
Easily grown in organically rich, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade and adapts well to clay soils[]. Easily grown in ordinary garden soil[]. It does well in a moist heavy soil in full sun or partial shade[, , , ] and is happy in water-logged conditions[].
Plants can be naturalized in damp rough grass[].
Flowers are produced within 4 - 5 years from seed. The seedpods are swollen and filled with air so that they can be dispersed by floating in water[].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[].

Edible Uses

Bulb - cooked[]. I have some reservations about this report, though no records of the plant being poisonous have been found so far.

Medicinal

The bulb and the flowers are a source of the alkaloid 'galantamine', which is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Galantamine has been shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease and to alleviate many of its symptoms. The alkaloid has also been shown to encourage lucid dreaming and to also be of use in the treatment of a number of other conditions including poliomyelitis[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a well-drained soil in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 2 - 3 months cold stratification, it should then germinate in 2 - 4 weeks at 10°c[]. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings can be allowed to grow on undisturbed in the pots for their first year of growth. Give them an occasional weak liquid feed to ensure that they do not become nutrient deficient. Pot up the small bulbs when dormant, planting 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for another 2 - 3 years before planting them out.
Division of offsets in September/early autumn. It is best done as soon as the foliage ripens[].
Scooping the bulbs.