Glory-of-the-snow
A blue-starred bulb endemic to the mountains of western Anatolia, flowering at the snow's edge; a key source for the first bee flights in gardens.
- Nectar
- Medium
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 0,1-0,15 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Glory-of-the-snow is an endemic species confined to the high parts of the Bozdağ mountains between İzmir and Manisa; most plants grown in gardens are of cultivated origin. Its light blue, white-centred star flowers stand upright and give bees easy access to nectar and pollen. In gardens in northern and western Europe it is, together with crocuses, one of the main food sources for the first brood.
Flowering
It flowers for 2-3 weeks: in the wild in March-April as the snow retreats, in gardens from late February to April.
Honey and pollen
It makes no contribution to honey production. No reliable record of the pollen load colour was found.
Note for the beekeeper
In current classification the genus Chionodoxa has been merged into Scilla; the name Chionodoxa is still seen in the trade. Because it is endemic, bulbs must not be collected from the wild; plant only nursery-grown bulbs.