Queen Olga Snowdrop

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Queen Olga Snowdrop
Galanthus reginae-olgae02.jpg

Queen Olga Snowdrop ( Galanthus reginae-olgae )

Systematics
Class : Bedecktsamer (Magnoliopsida)
Monocots
Order : Asparagales (Asparagales)
Family : Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae)
Genre : Snowdrop ( Galanthus )
Type : Queen Olga Snowdrop
Scientific name
Galanthus reginae-olgae
Orph.

The Queen Olga Snowdrop ( Galanthus reginae-olgae , syn .: Galanthus nivalis subsp. Reginae-olgae (Orph.) Gottl.-Tann. ) Is a species of the snowdrop ( Galanthus ) family in the Amaryllidaceae family ).

features

Leaves in spring
Galanthus reginae-olgae subsp. reginae-olgae , Northern Greece, near Ioannina , October 26, 2008

The Queen Olga Snowdrop is a perennial herbaceous plant that reaches heights of 8 to 35 centimeters. This geophyte forms an onion as a persistence organ. The leaves have a conspicuous whitish central stripe on their upper side on a green or bluish-green background. The top and bottom of the leaf are colored differently. During the flowering period, the leaves are developed differently, depending on the subspecies and the place of origin. In the mainland forms of Greece in the Taygetos Mountains , they are practically not yet developed during the flowering period in October, whereas in Galanthus reginae-olgae subsp. vernalis in Sicily are practically fully developed during the flowering period in February and March. The leaves measure 8 to 18 × 0.5 to 0.8 centimeters. The outer bracts are large and measure 1.9 to 2.5 (3) × 0.7 to 1.2 (1.8) centimeters.

The flowering period extends from October to December, in some cases it begins as early as September and lasts until March.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 24.

Occurrence

The Queen Olga snowdrop occurs on the Greek mainland , on Corfu , in Montenegro , on the Italian mainland , in northern Sicily and in Albania in fall deciduous forests, bushes, rocky slopes in river valleys and canyons at altitudes of 20 to 1300 meters. It is often found between the roots of Mediterranean trees such as the oriental plane tree , the sweet chestnut and the strawberry tree . Cultivated land can also serve as a habitat, for example Galanthus reginae-olgae subsp. reginae-olgae in Corfu, for example, is often found in olive groves. The canopy of leaves holds back excessive solar radiation, the leaf layer provides nutrients and protects the onion from drying out.

The species is a moisture indicator and is found mainly in locations where the soil never dries out completely, even in summer.

use

The Queen Olga snowdrop is rarely used as an ornamental plant for rock gardens and under trees.

Systematics

Two subspecies, which are only vaguely demarcated from one another, are described:

  • Galanthus reginae-olgae subsp. reginae-olgae (Syn .: Galanthus corcyrensis (Beck) Stern , Galanthus praecox auct.): The flowering period extends from September to December, the leaves are absent during the flowering period or are much shorter than the stem.
  • Galanthus reginae-olgae subsp. vernalis Kamari : The flowering period extends from January to March, the leaves are already well developed during the flowering period.

literature

  • Eckehart J. Jäger, Friedrich Ebel, Peter Hanelt, Gerd K. Müller (eds.): Rothmaler excursion flora from Germany. Volume 5: Herbaceous ornamental and useful plants. Spectrum Academic Publishing House, Berlin Heidelberg 2008, ISBN 978-3-8274-0918-8 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Tropicos. [1]
  2. ↑ a b Helga edges: The autumn color purple , Nürnberger Nachrichten from 10/11. October 2009, magazine on the weekend page 4

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