Snowdrop ident please?

[Harald-Alex.]

If it's called 'Carmen' then that is what it is.  If it ever had another name, why would it have been changed?  Anyone can give a name to a snowdrop (provided that name has not been used already for another snowdrop).  I looked online and can find no reference to a snowdrop named 'Carmen', either yours or any other.  So the name may well be available for use. 

You can, if you wish, apply to register the name with the KAVB, the registration authority for snowdrops.  I myself have registered a double snowdrop called 'Cressida' and a vigorous inversely poculiform snowdrop called 'The More the Merrier'.  I believe Anne Wright ('Annew') registered her Dryad Gold series names. 

However, these days a snowdrop needs to be quite special to merit being named.  'Carmen' is pretty enough but the marks on the inner petals are not out of the ordinary; you found another one that looks quite similar and that is named for the place where it was found as much as for anything else.  But perhaps 'Carmen' has other qualities that are not visual?  There's one called 'Cedric's Prolific' that was named (some while ago) for being prolific.   

Thank You Alan for the interesting informations, especially to the procedur of registration of snowdrop-names.
I will inform the gardenfriend with the snowdrop foto! In my garden dayly more snowdrops open their flowers!
Greeting and a fine weekend wish You Harald Alex

[Shauney]

I was at a car boot today and found someone selling snowdrops among other plants. I selected these as they were different. This was labelled as a woronowii but the leaves on this one are different to the one I grow. Is this normal or is mine wrongly labled? In the first and second pictures the plant on the left is my plant and the right is the one I bought today. As you can see the leaf shape is different in shape and colour. The right one is  more rounded and less glossy  Many thanks Shaun.

[johnw]

They are G. woronowii.

johnw
7c & drizzle

[Shauney]

The second plant I got was s scharlockii but most have only one developed ear. I've never seen it on mine before again is this a normal thing? Many thanks Shaun.

[Shauney]

Any ideas if this is a named variety? Many thanks Shaun

[mark smyth]

Quite nice whatever it is

[Shauney]

Hi, a customer was given this a couple of years ago but has lost the label and can't remember who gave it to them either. I've tried to look myself but can't pin it down so was hoping someone here may be able to shed some light. Many thanks Shaun.

[Alan_b]

The second plant I got was s scharlockii but most have only one developed ear. I've never seen it on mine before again is this a normal thing? Many thanks Shaun.

Normally in this type the spathe is very large and intact or very large and split into to 'ears' of equal length.  I have never seen a long and short ear as your photo seems to show. 

[Alan_b]

Hi, a customer was given this a couple of years ago but has lost the label and can't remember who gave it to them either. I've tried to look myself but can't pin it down so was hoping someone here may be able to shed some light. Many thanks Shaun.

Well the mark on the inner petals is what you might find in plicatus subs. byzantinus ("The Istanbul Snowdrop").  But the leaves are quite narrow and I cannot see any folding back so perhaps it is a plicatus x nivalis hybrid?  To be honest, a snowdrop like this would not be named on looks alone these days; although it might have other virtues.  I'm sure at a place like Myddleton House you could easily find half a dozen different ones that look similar. 

[Shauney]

Normally in this type the spathe is very large and intact or very large and split into to 'ears' of equal length.  I have never seen a long and short ear as your photo seems to show. 

Of whats flowering... I'd say about 90% were like that. 5%  had one that was about half the length of the other and the rest were normal. It's a very congested 2lt pot so will divide when dorment.

[Shauney]

Well the mark on the inner petals is what you might find in plicatus subs. byzantinus ("The Istanbul Snowdrop").  But the leaves are quite narrow and I cannot see any folding back so perhaps it is a plicatus x nivalis hybrid?  To be honest, a snowdrop like this would not be named on looks alone these days; although it might have other virtues.  I'm sure at a place like Myddleton House you could easily find half a dozen different ones that look similar. 

Thanks for having a go Alan.

[Mariette]

Any ideas if this is a named variety? Many thanks Shaun

´Gloucester Old Spot´looks similar.

[Alan_b]

´Gloucester Old Spot´looks similar.

As do any number of snowdrops you can find in a naturalised nivalis population.  'Gloucester Old Spot' is a great name but it's one of those snowdrops that was the first of its type to be found and named.  With hindsight it is far from unique.

[Shauney]

´Gloucester Old Spot´looks similar.

Thanks Mariette. It looks similar but it's not that in my eyes. Colour is different and yours looked a bit floppy where as mine is very upright staying up in wet and windy weather and even after the -3 frost we just had it stayed upright when others I have flopped.

[Shauney]

As do any number of snowdrops you can find in a naturalised nivalis population.  'Gloucester Old Spot' is a great name but it's one of those snowdrops that was the first of its type to be found and named.  With hindsight it is far from unique.

I'll still enjoy it name or no name. Many thanks Shaun.