PLANT OF THE MONTH, MARCH 2025: Leucojum aestivum L.
- Ca: Allassa, assa
- Es: campanilla de verano
- En: summer snowflake
- Scientific name: Leucojum aestivum L.
- Synonyms:
Summer snowflake is a bulbous plant with bell-shaped white flowers that have greenish spots on the tips of the tepals. The flowers are arranged in clusters of 3 to 5 and hang from the top of the stems, which can reach 30-40 cm. The linear, flat leaves emerge first, all from the base. The fruit is a capsule containing 5-7 smooth, black seeds.
This species produces the alkaloid galantamine, one of the most important used for treating Alzheimer’s symptoms. It has also been used to treat polio and other nervous and muscular diseases. Additionally, the alkaloid lycorine is obtained, which is used for its anticancer and antiviral properties.
Due to the effects of climate change, there is a noticeable decline in its populations, as they are tied to wetland habitats, which are increasingly difficult to maintain. Furthermore, the introduction of commercial cultivars that could hybridize with wild populations also poses a threat to be considered for natural populations.
At the Botanical Garden, you can see it in bloom in the wetland area, among the fern collection, but also in a drier area, just at the entrance to the oak forest flora collection, where it blooms later.
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Distribution: Europe up to northern Iran and northeastern Algeria, where it has been recently cited. In the Balearic Islands, it grows in Mallorca and Menorca. In the Iberian Peninsula, it is only found in the north of Girona. It also grows on other Mediterranean islands, such as Corsica and Sardinia.
Conservation status: It is not an extremely rare species, but its distribution areas are decreasing due to the destruction of wetlands and also because of harvesting in some countries as an alkaloid-producing plant. According to IUCN categories, it is considered vulnerable (VU) in areas such as Romania, etc., and of least concern (LC) in Italy, Great Britain, etc. Seeds from the Pareis stream population are conserved in the BGVIB germplasm bank. Various sheets from the areas of Maó, Sóller, Pollença, and Escorca can be consulted at the HJBS herbarium.
Phenology: blooms from February to April
Habitat: wet forest areas or in temporary ponds in Menorca.
