Transparent snowdrop

[bontebok1]

I noticed this unusual nivalis in amongst a pot of standard snowdrops at a local nursery. It appears to be semi transparent. I was wondering if this is likely due to environmental stress, disease or something more unusual. Regardless, I like the effect and hope that it reappears next year. The plant and bulb both appeared to be very healthy.  I have separated the bulb from the rest of the pot and now eagerly await its re-appearance next year. I would be interested in people's thoughts. Richard

[Maggi Young]

Hi Richard,
 Welcome to the forum.

I associate that type of transparency with a bit of frost damage - but the galanthophiles around may have other ideas!
 I've resized your photos and repost them below  - they were a little large in pixel size for easy screen viewing in  your versions, even though they are below the forum 200kb limit. 

Maggi Moderator


 

[Alan_b]

Sorry, but the semi-transparent look is typical of a snowdrop flower that is about to go over.  More old age than frost damage I would have thought - but I don't know for sure.

[bontebok1]

Thanks Maggi for sorting out the pictures - I had trouble downloading them and had to reduce the file size, although obviously still not quite right! Frost damage could be a possibility, especially after last winter,  but its unusual that none of the other flowers showed similar characteristics.

Alan, the flower was not an old flower and retained the transparent like qualities for some time. These pictures were taken nearly a week after I purchased the pot and the characteristics were clearly evident when I bought it. In fact when it did start to go over it became opaque. Nonetheless, I can't determine how long the flower had been in flower so again this could be a possibility.

I suppose time will tell and it be a little something extra to look forward to!

[Maggi Young]

Happy to help Richard.

Are you developing a snowdrop obsession, do you think? (There's a lot  of that about!)

[bontebok1]

No hope for me  ! I'm starting to build a modest sized collection but there always seems to be just one more

[Maggi Young]

Oh dear, sounds like it is too late for you to seek counselling or vaccination then ! 
You'll just have to sit back and  enjoy

[Hagen Engelmann]

Maggie, I`m sure Richard is in good company.

Here is another example of a glassy flower. But a bad example. The plant is a few days before death. So the way of Alan (flower goes over) is much better.

[Brian Ellis]

Oh dear, sounds like it is too late for you to seek counselling or vaccination then ! 

Why didn't you warn me Maggi?  I had thought I had a photo of a similar flower but couldn't find it, well done Hagen, came up Trumps again

[bontebok1]

Hagen,

That picture looks very familiar! Alan seems to offer the most plausible explanation then! Thanks for clearing up the mystery.

Richard

[Hagen Engelmann]

Richard, please differentiate between glassy/waxy and paperdry flowers!

[mark smyth]

I've been told its probably botrytis

[Alan_b]

Ever the optimist, eh Mark?

I like to go out hunting for unusual snowdrop variants amongst the wild population.  If you do this late in the season you will find many flowers that are semi-transparent.  This tends to make the inner petals appear more green than normal because these petals usually have more green on the inside than the outside and the green on the inside shows through as the petal becomes transparent.  So you get a false impression of a flower being unusual when it isn't really.  It is a common phenomenon and I have no reason to suspect botrytis is involved.