Episode 08: Nature’s Antifreeze & the Badass Bulb that Could- Snowdrops
Snowdrops, or Galanthus are the adorable little flowers you may have seen dotting the countryside or forrest with tiny specks of white for YEARS in the middle of winter through early spring…especially if you live in areas with plenty of shade, moisture, and nutrient- rich soil (looking at you, england and the coastal US)
Snowdrops are native to continental Europe, growing from the Pyrenees to Ukraine. They have been cultivated in Britain since 1598 and were first recorded growing wild in Britain in the 18th century. The snowdrop is now found growing all over the UK (although it’s rarer in Scotland).
Since being naturalized in Britain, snowdrops have since spread pretty much world wide! As long as they have plenty of humidity, moisture, and shade, they tend to be pretty happy and low-maitenince.
These little guys are characterized by their thick green stems and leaves, short stature, early blooms, and of course their adorable white flowers.These flowers are unique because they are made up of 6 petals- 3 on the outside, and a smaller layer of 3 inner petals which have distinct green markings. The key to telling these guys apart from the VERY similar “Spring snowflake” is that the spring snowflake has only one layer of petals, which create more of a bell shape, and their markings are on the outside.
Snowdrops are perennial bulbs, which means that they come back year after year by sending nutrients deep into the ground to store their energy for next year. And just like a lot of other bulbs, they tend to be found growing in large groups, with the plants taking up more and more space as they spread their seeds.
Interestingly enough, snowdrops have actually evolved their seeds to be attractive to ants, who are the perfect size to take their seeds and carry them all over the country side. They have done this by producing a fruit that is easy for the ants to get into and take the seeds, and by having the seeds themselves produce a tiny little tail (known as an elaiosome) that contains some chemical compounds the ants love…kind of like dangling a bottle of channel no. 5 out the window to attract grandmas in your area.
The scientific name for snowdrops name comes ancient greek- with Gala meaning “milk’, and “anthos” meaning flower- translating literally to milk flower, but over time the name came to be “snowdrop”… and this makes a lot of sense when we consider not only what they look like- bright white flowers that dot the land like snow- but also the time of year they bloom- midwinter through early spring!
While they are all characterized as small, white flowers with green leaves and markings, there are a few different varieties, all of which have different markings, but are pretty easy to miss if you aren’t looking closely.
My favorite variety is known as “grumpy” because the little green markings on the inner petals look like tiny little frowny faces- I’ll add a picture on instagram so you can see what I’m talking about, and scream with me about how cute they are.
Some varieties are more rare than others, which can lead to some pretty wild prices for collectors- the most expensive snowdrop bulb on record sold for about $1500 dollars in 2015. This was for the variety “golden fleece” which has tiny little yellowish dots on it’s petals. It is super cute and VERY rare to stumble upon, which is why it could command such a pretty penny at auction.
Snowdrops are often considered to be “shy” because of the way they droop their sweet little heads, but we actually have evidence to suggest they do this for a reason- they produce a dusty pollen that needs to be kept dry so any winter pollinators can access it! This is actually also why their inner petals spread open a little bit more as the season goes on- gotta make room for those bee butts.
Snow drops contain an antifreeze protein, which works by preventing ice from crystalizing on the leaves and flowers. These ice crystals are typically what causes damage to plant cells, causing the cells to basically explode, and making way for pests, further damage, and eventually, resulting in death.
Because ice can't get in there and cause these guys to freeze and explode on a cellular level, they are NOT super sensitive to the cold. Which is why if you have ever seen them frozen down to the ground- no you didn’t… they pop right back up as soon as temperatures allow that heavy ice to melt. As a fun fact, this protein actually helped us develop modern antifreeze, and is what the British used to help thaw out tanks in WW1!
In addition to the antifreeze, they also have pointy ass leaves that help them break through the toughened and semi-frozen soil so that those dainty little flowers can really shine through and help us fight our seasonal depression.
Another fun thing found in snowdrops is Galanthus nivalis agglutinins or GNA. In snowdrops, GNA helps them to deter pests by binding to specific sugars (d-mannose sugars for the inquiring bug minds) which are stored in the bugs midgut. Once the GNA has bound to the sugars, it begins to clump, leading to agglutination..so basically death by way of we love katamari… as another aside,this is also what happens in humans if we get the wrong type of blood in a blood transfusion.
GNA is most effective at deterring sucking pests like aphids, who are notoriously tricky to kill, since a lot of pesticides and things we have developed are too big for their tiny mouths, which means we often dont get all of them on the first try, or would need to use a systemic poison which takes a while and can render the plant unsafe for consumption depending on what is used.
Scientists have tried to breed GNA into other crops more susceptible to pests like potatoes, corn, rice, and tobacco w/ mixed success- luckily in amounts small enough that they aren’t harmful to us.
Speaking of historical uses for snowdrops, Villages in the Caucasus Mountains (in the area between Asia and Europe- modern day Russia and Georgia) used it to treat migraines and to improve cognitive function. They did this by rubbing the leaves onto the temples of their foreheads. For a long time scientists weren’t sure WHY this was, but that’s where our friend Dimitri Paskov comes in. Dimitri was a bulgarian scientist who happened to be the first to isolate galantamine.- the very substance found in snowdrop leaves that makes them so good at curing headaches. He found that the reason this works is because Galantamine molecules easily enter the blood-brain barrier, which makes it easy for it to get into our brains and do it’s thing.
What is it’s “thing” you may ask? Well,glantanmine contains acetylcholinesterase-inhibiting properties. Acetylcholinesterase is an enzyme that helps to break down the wall between nerve and muscle cells…which at first sounds a little scary, but this is actually super important. If left to their own devices, these guys would start to group together and, given enough time, could cause paralysis.
This is particularly interesting because snowdrops also contain substances that are toxic to us. Most notably, snowdrops contain lycorine lye cor ine also found in daffodils, which can be toxic to humans, resulting in similar symptoms than what we would see in the poisons it can protect us from- vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. These symptoms can last for up to 3 hours after consuming any part of the plant, but the most Lycorine is concentrated in the bulb of the flower.
This flower is actually FILLED with contradictions like that.
In german folklore, the story goes that winter, upon seeing the beauty of all spring’s blooms, asked the flowers if it could borrow some of their color. Most of the flowers said “heck no” but snowdrops decided it would be alright for them to share, so, the winter took on their colors- white and green. In exchange for this kind gift, winter allows the snowdrop to bloom early and protects it from harm, making it the first bloom in the season for most of us,
In catholicism, snowdrops are said to symbolize hope, new life, and purity, as they bloom in the bleakest days of winter and show us that life will always find a way to spring forward with beauty and tenacity- even in the harshest of times.
But snowdrops aren’t all love and light. In fact, in some cultures they are actually as symbol of death and the underworld.
This is partially because of WHERE they grow- like we touched on, they happen to like areas with lots of nutrients, plenty of moisture and vegetation, and shade….and well, while that DOES describe the forest floor, it also happens to describe cemeteries, where decomposing bodies have historically added nutrients to the soil, trees have been added to provide share, and the lawns and landscapes tend to be well watered in order to keep them nice looking for the living…
If the whole “growing on graves: wasn't enough, they *do* kind of look sad if you think of their little droopy heads as someone in mourning, and I am sure the whole thing with persephone doesn’t help
For those unfamiliar with the story, it has been said that snowdrops are the first flowers that persephone brough with her upon her re-entrance from the underworld, where she is forced to stay with Hades…its a long story and the reason we have winter, but what you need to know for now is that spring is earth (and her mom’s) way of celebrating her return, which is what makes seeing these flowers exciting, but also a little sad. For ancient greeks, snowdrops were a flower STRAIGHT from the underworld. And while they showed us that spring was around the corner, they also reminded us that death was never too far away.
Speaking of death, victorians actually believed that picking these flowers was bad luck. Part of this could *likely* be tied to the fact that much like daffodils, the sap made people super sick. But, another part of it was FOR SURE that these plants were regarded as a symbol of death.
In fact, it was widely believed that if a snowdrop crossed the threshold of your home, someone in your family would die within a year….talk about flowers NO ONE asked for…
To this day there are some people who claim these flowers have ruined their marriages and caused misfortune in their lives….someone call bravo, because I think we have a new hit on our hands…
We touched on how its been used to try and encourage natural pest-deterrent in some of our staple crops, but snowdrops are helping us in other ways too.
Snowdrops are also Currently being studied for use in the treatment of alzheimer's. Remember how earlier we talked about galantamine and how it’s great at breaking down the barrier between muscle and nerve cells. Well, it turns out that is great for helping with decreasing confusion too, as long as it’s taken in small doses. Basically we think this works by blocking harmful disruptors and in turn increasing the number of neurotransmitters in the nervous system, which then helps to strengthen the remaining nerve signal..so basically it’s breaking down barriers and adding in a few helping hands to pass those communication signals along.
Because of this, galantamine is actually currently being used in the drug “Razadyne” which has proven effective at improving the symptoms of altzimers, but is not a cure. While this is great news, scientists are still working to be able to synthesize glantamine successfully.
Another great way we are using Galantamine? In defense against neuro-toxins- especially things like Sarin gas! It is effective because it latches on to the substances that cause all the damage, and essentially pull them out as they exit our bodies. While it doesn't completely negate the symptoms, research has shown it could at least keep you alive.
While snowdrops themselves can be a bit of a contradiction, one thing is sure- they bring a much-needed pop of vibrancy and life to the long, dreary days of winter. If you’re lucky enough to live in an area where these guys grow, I hope you take a moment to really look at them, and think about what beautiful little bad asses they are.
Sources:
https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/news/white-here-white-now-medicinal-power-dainty-snowdrop
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7933568/
http://www.creativecountryside.com/blog/the-folklore-of-snowdrops
https://www.kiri.uk/nature-photo-blog/the-snowdrop-and-the-honeybee
https://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/snowdrops
https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/11796716.snowdrops-dainty-but-so-tough/
https://blog.edvotek.com/2021/03/02/the-science-of-snowdrops/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7968514/
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Sarin
