Herb: Summer Snowflake


Latin name: Leucojum aestivum


Family: Amaryllidaceae (Amaryllis Family)



Edible parts of Summer Snowflake:

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

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Bulb


Height:
50 cm
(1 foot)

Flowering:
May

Habitat of the herb:

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

Propagation of Summer Snowflake:

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/October. It is best done as soon as the foliage ripens. Scooping the bulbs.

Cultivation of the herb:

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

Medicinal use of Summer Snowflake:

None known

Known hazards of Leucojum aestivum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.