Galanthus nivalis
Ecology
A bulbous perennial herb of moist woodlands and other shaded places. It is especially frequent in parks, large gardens and churchyards, but also occurs on road verges, by watercourses and in damp grassland. Spread is mainly by division of the bulbs, as seed production is poor. 0-370 m (Nenthall, Cumberland).
Status
Trends
This species was known in cultivation in Britain in 1597 but was not recorded in the wild until 1778. Although it was formerly sometimes regarded as native, it is now considered to be alien. It was probably under-recorded in the 1962 Atlas, and there is little reason to suspect a real change in its distribution.
World Distribution
A European Southern-temperate species; widely naturalised outside its native range.
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Broad Habitats
Light (Ellenberg): 5
Moisture (Ellenberg): 6
Reaction (Ellenberg): 7
Nitrogen (Ellenberg): 7
Salt Tolerance (Ellenberg): 0
January Mean Temperature (Celsius): 3.5
July Mean Temperature (Celsius): 15.2
Annual Precipitation (mm): 919
Height (cm): 22
Perennation - primary
Life Form - primary
Woodiness
Clonality - primary
Clonality - secondary
Count of 10km squares in Great Britain: 1763
Count of 10km squares in Ireland: 36
Count of 10km squares in the Channel Isles: 5
Atlas Change Index: 3.01
Weighted Changed Factor: 58
Weighted Change Factor Confidence (90%)
JNCC Designations
PLANTATT - Attributes of British and Irish plants. (.zip 1455KB) This dataset was compiled and published in 2004, and last updated in November 2008. Download includes an Excel spreadsheet of the attributes, and a PDF explaining the background and nomenclature. Note that the PDF version is the booklet as published, whereas the Excel spreadsheet incorporates subsequent corrections. A hardcopy can be purchased from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
Atlas text references
Atlas (328a)
The genus Galanthus,
, Portland, Oregon, (1999)
Flora Britannica,
, London, (1996)
Vergleichende Chorologie der zentraleuropäischen Flora. Volume 1. 2 vols,
, Jena, (1965)