About Galanthus plicatus M.Bieb.
Galanthus plicatus M.Bieb. grows to around 15 cm (5.9 in) tall. Its leaves are bluish or greyish green, broader than the leaves of many other Galanthus species, reaching up to 2 cm (0.79 in) wide. Leaf edges are folded back away from the upper leaf surface, both when in bud and after the leaves fully expand. Nodding white flowers bloom in very early spring, making this species one of the very first plants to flower each year. Flowers have six white tepals: the outer three are entirely white, 2–3 cm (0.79–1.18 in) long, while the inner three are shorter and notched, with a green mark above the notch that often extends past the middle of the tepal. In Galanthus plicatus subsp. byzantinus, the inner tepals also have an additional green mark at the base. This species occurs from eastern Europe (Romania, Ukraine and Crimea) through Turkey to the north-west Caucasus. Galanthus plicatus subsp. plicatus is found across the full native range of the species, while G. plicatus subsp. byzantinus occurs only in north-west Turkey. Galanthus plicatus grows in woodland and scrub, most often in shaded areas. It is listed as a red book species in Ukraine, and in the Crimean Tatar language it is called aqbardaq, meaning white cup. In cultivation, both Galanthus plicatus itself and its cultivar 'Three Ships' have received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. The cultivar 'Wendy's Gold' has a yellow ovary and yellow markings on its inner petals.
