Snowdrops

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Snowdrops, Schneeglöckchen

***** Location: Europe, America
***** Season: Early Spring
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation

Galanthus family.
Common Snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis

These early flowers of spring have always been my joy in our German garden. I planted some here in Japan and most of them grow now since 10 years, sometimes as early as February.
They are not native to Japan and therefore not mentioned in the traditional saijiki.
In German we call them "snow bells".

After Adam and Eve had been thrown out of paradise and were suffering from the first snow in their life, a merciful angel turned the snow to these nice flowers, the snowdrops. (Maybe the name of the angel was Gabriel???)
Gabi Greve (Gabi is short for Gabriele)

In Japanese they are also called
"Plant waiting for Snow"matsu-yuki-soo 待雪草 ... or
"Snow Flowers" yuki no hana 雪の花.




A Snowdrop plant looks like three drops of milk hanging from a stem. This accounts for the Latin name Galanthus which means "milk-white flowers".
http://www.theplantexpert.com/springbulbs/Snowdrop.html

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These are hardy bulbs, originally from Europe and Asia Minor. Two or three straplike leaves, dark green in color, grow from each bulb. The white flowers are usually borne singly, mostly in early spring but sometimes in mid to late winter, which makes them the earliest flowering bulb. In the south they may bloom from late fall through winter. The three inner petals have green tips and overlap the outer petals to form a tube.
http://www.gardenguides.com/flowers/bulbs/snowdrop.htm


SPECIES & VARIETIES
G. nivalis & var. 'Scharlockii', 'Sam Arnotti', 'Flore Pleno'; G. elwesii; G. plicatus; G. byzantinus (This species is the one most likely to survive in southern gardens, being a native of western Turkey.)
http://www.botany.com/galanthus.html

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Snowdrop, "Sunoodoroppu" スノードロップ　



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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

Struggeling with a snowdrop haiku
http://haiku.cc.ehime-u.ac.jp/~shiki/shiki.archive/html/9801/0539.html


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By Gary Ford
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/worldkigo/my_photos


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HAIKU

white dots on the ground -
they are not snow
they are first snowbells !

Gabi Greve

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Erste Schneeglöckchen –
die Witwe trägt nun
kein Schwarz mehr

first snowdrops -
the widow does not wear
black any more
(Tr. Gabi Greve)

Andrea D`Alessandro
http://www.haiku-heute.de/Galerie/Andrea_DAlessandro/body_andrea_dalessandro.html

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morning light ~
among gathered leaves
one snowdrop

Don
http://haiku.cc.ehime-u.ac.jp/~shiki/shiki.archive/html/0003/0096.html

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new snowdrop
Hangs it's head almost as if
Ashamed to be here.

Paul Cotton
http://www.thecomma.co.uk/haiku/?action=arch&yr=2004

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cowpat
lifted up --
first snowdrops

Isabelle Prondzynski

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Related words

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