Birth flower
Snowdrop
Galanthus nivalis. In the language of flowers, as lists print it today, it stands for hope, the reading Kate Greenaway printed for it in 1884. It is a custom of sentiment, not a scientific or official designation.
- Latin name
- Galanthus nivalis
- Month
- January
- Meaning today
- hopeThe same reading Kate Greenaway printed in 1884.
The plant itself
| Family | Amaryllidaceae |
|---|---|
| Native to | Europe, from the Pyrenees east to Ukraine |
| Habit | perennial |
| Height | 7–20 cm |
| Flowers | February to March |
Kew has kept snowdrop flowering dates for decades and records that the flowers commonly opened around the end of February in the 1950s but have opened in January since the 1990s.
Where the names come from
The English name, snow and drop, is recorded from the 1660s, for a low flower of the European woods known for blooming very early. The genus name, Galanthus, is Latin made from the Greek gala, milk, and anthos, flower, so where English sees a drop of snow, the botanist's name sees milk. The species name, nivalis, is Latin for snowy, from nix, snow.
Where the meaning is written down
- As the dictionary prints it
- HopeUnder the heading “Snowdrop” in Kate Greenaway, Language of Flowers, 1884.
- As lists print it today
- HopeThe same reading, in today's wording.
Greenaway gives "hope"; John Ingram's Flora Symbolica (1869) gives "friend in need, hope", so the two agree on hope and Ingram adds a second sense.
Is it poisonous?
The RHS records the snowdrop as harmful if eaten by people, dogs and cats; it contains the alkaloid galanthamine, and no source consulted singles out one part of the plant. It is not in the ASPCA's database.
Each finding above names who made it: the ASPCA's poisonous plant database, the Royal Horticultural Society's harm ratings, or a published report. This is general information and not veterinary advice — if an animal or a person has eaten part of a plant, ring a vet or a poison line rather than reading a website.