Leucojum aestivum L.
Summer snowflake, giant snowflake, Loddon lily
Summer snowflake is native to most of Europe and a few parts of Asia. The name is a misnomer, since flowers appear in early spring or even late winter. It is naturalized in parts of Scandanavia, Australia, and eastern North America.
Plants: 1–2′ (35–60 cm) tall.
Leaves: Strap-shaped, grasslike, 6–12 ⨉ ⅛–¾″ (15–30 cm ⨉ 5–20 mm).
Flowers: Drooping, white, green-tipped flowers appear in late winter or early spring. Flowering stems are hollow, with translucent margins. Flowers are in umbels of 3-5, 1–1½″ (3–4 cm) in diameter, with six white tepals. There is a greenish mark at the base of each tepal. They are supported on flowering stalks ⅞–2½″ (2.5–7 cm) long.
Fruits: Black seeds are ⅛–¼″ (5–7 mm) long.
Habitats: Damp places, such as wet meadows, swamps, and ditches.
Edibility: 
Poisonous. All species of Leucojum are poisonous, as the leaves and bulbs contain the toxic alkaloids lycorine and galantamine.
Online References:
5/23/2024 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine 
5/26/2024 · McLaughlin Garden and Homestead, South Paris, Maine 
5/26/2024 · McLaughlin Garden and Homestead, South Paris, Maine 
5/12/2025 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine · ≈ 12 × 11″ (29 × 27 cm) 
5/12/2025 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) 
5/26/2024 · McLaughlin Garden and Homestead, South Paris, Maine 
5/23/2024 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Liliidae | Includes lilies, orchids, and many others |
| Order | Asparagales | A diverse group that includes asparagus |
| Family | Amaryllidaceae | Amaryllis family—plants that grow from bulbs. Includes onions and many others |
| Genus | Leucojum | From the Greek leukos, “white,” and ion, “violet,” referring to the white flowers similar to violets |
| Species | aestivum | Flowering, ripening or developing in summer |
Leucojum aestivum description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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