giant snowdrop

Galanthus elwesii Hook.f.

Giant snowdrop spends much of its life below ground as a bulb, then produces a short seasonal display above the soil. Its solitary white flower hangs from a leafless stalk, opening while many surrounding plants are still dormant. Established clumps can expand through bulb offsets as well as seed. NC State Extension: Giant Snowdrop

Botanical name

Kew accepts Galanthus elwesii in Amaryllidaceae. Its conserved name includes the former combination Galanthus nivalis subsp. elwesii. Plants of the World Online: Galanthus elwesii

Recognizing the plant

The broad, grey-green leaves typically emerge with one wrapping around the other at the base, an arrangement botanists call supervolute. The flower has six petal-like segments, or tepals. The inner segments often carry two green marks, sometimes joined into an X-shaped patch; the form called monostictus has only the lower mark. This variation means that the pattern on one flower is best considered together with its foliage. After flowering, a capsule develops and eventually opens into three parts. NC State Extension: Giant Snowdrop Uppsala University Botanic Garden: Galanthus elwesii

Bloom window

North Carolina horticultural conditions

NC State records late-winter to early-spring flowering, followed by summer dormancy. NC State Extension: Giant Snowdrop

Native range

Its native range runs from southeastern Europe into Turkey and southwestern Ukraine. In Turkey, wild populations occupy limestone mountain pastures as well as broad-leaved or coniferous woodland and scrub. Plants of the World Online: Galanthus elwesii CITES case study: Galanthus elwesii in Turkey

Botanical sources

Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.