Recently, a new species of flower has been discovered on Chislehurst common.
Leucojum aestivum, or summer snowflake, is a species of flower around 50cm tall with long, narrow leaves and up to 8 bell shaped white flowers which have green tips.
The flower belongs to the leucojum genus with, currently, only two known species.
These flowers are found all around the world, for example Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine, but are native to most of Europe and parts of Asia, including Iran. The flower was first described by carl Linnaeus in 1795 – Linnaeus was a Swedish botanist known as the father of modern taxonomy.
The species is also poisonous, as the leaves and bulbs contain toxic chemicals, one of which being galantamine, which is interestingly used in small quantities to moderate Alzheimer’s disease and other memory impairments.
Chislehurst commons, the charity which manages and maintains the 180 acres has transported the bulbs to various places around Chislehurst, including the outskirts of Prickend pond.
The discovery of the plant has pleased many of the areas residents, one of which, Daniel Akpan, saying: ‘The discovery of it may not be a big deal, but it’s a nice addition to our ecology’.
Arman Parsa Farringtons School
