Query re Galanthus nivalis

[Maggi Young]

Are  there any named form of Galanthus nivalis with two flower stalks ?  I'm told a friend  has found such a plant  and it seems that large plants have two flower stalks and three leafs.

[Matt Bishop]

Maggi, Its unusual but not unheard of. I cannot think of any named cultivars with these features in combination.

[Cephalotus]

Maybe it won't be clearly visible, but I am attaching photo of what Maggi asked in my name. There are three plants that have 3 leafs and 2 flower stalks. I should have made a photo from a different angle, I know. They all have very broad leafs. Two leafs are normal size and the third one is a lot smaller.  Also the second flower is smaller than the main one if I can call it like that. I have suspicions it might be a polyploid of some kind.

s12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/cephalotus/Galanthus%202015/47_zpsmb5znn06.jpg
 photo link no longer works - see instead photos in reply 7 on this page.

[Mariette]

From Will McLewin I got G. nivalis collected in Sicily which produce 2 stalks from one pair of leaves, at least the stronger bulbs. Whether these were named afterwards, I don´t know.
A greentipped one I found in a wood in our region produced 2 stalks it´s first year in my garden, too.

[Alan_b]

My nivalis cultivar 'Green Hornet' regularly produced two flower stalks per bulb.  But I lost my stock for a while and have not yet observed the same behaviour since I got it back; possibly the bulbs are still too immature.  The second flower stalk ('scape') always emerged with the flower not enclosed in the spathe - I don't know if this is abnormal.  You'll see that the first flower on the bulb at the back is still tightly enclosed within the spathe but the second one beneath it is not at all.




On the other hand I cannot think of any nivalis that produces a third leaf.  Have you dug-up a bulb to check that it's not from an offset?

 

[Cephalotus]

On the other hand I cannot think of any nivalis that produces a third leaf.  Have you dug-up a bulb to check that it's not from an offset?

Hah... how should I answer this question. This form is weird... Some bulbs have two flower stalks and two leafs, some have two flower stalks and three leafs when two main leafs come out from 12 and 6 o'clock and the third can come from 3 o'clock or the same as one of the main ones. There are also those plants that have one flower stalk but three leafs in combination 3, 6, 12 o'clock. It is almost as if every single offspring was somehow different. They are single bulbs I am talking about, although really huge, there is only one plant having 4 leafs and they kind of look like they would divide in some time, since they are coming out 12 and 6 o'clock just one pair beside the other. For those who interested in more information, I can send some details privately.

[Alan_b]

It's quite common to find elwesii with a third leaf but I have never noticed this in other snowdrop species.  This may reflect on my powers of observation; I'll look harder in future.

[Cephalotus]

I am showing some new photos of two flower stalked form and three leafed form. A plant with two flower stalks is shown in the first photo, the remaining four are of three leafed ones. It is a whole subpopulation with such predisposition. I haven't seen such plants anywhere except a small area of about 5x5m, maybe with some satellite clumps here and there.