'Yamanlar'

Galanthus gracilis ‘Yamanlar’ 

The story behind the variety ‘Yamanlar’ is extremely interesting, but equally confusing. In the past, there has been some confusion about the identity of this snowdrop. Different cultivar names such as ‘Cassaba’ and ‘Cassaba-Daglingworth’ have appeared and consequently there has also been confusion with the very similar ‘Daglingworth’.

Galanthus ‘Yamanlar’ goes back to Colin Mason, a successful snowdrop breeder from Kenilworth, a market town in the county of Warwickshire in England. In addition to his snowdrop cultivars, Mason was also known for his plant excursions to various countries. His ‘Fieldgate’ varieties and other rarities such as ‘South Hayes’ are now represented in many snowdrop collections. Mason passed away in 2020.

The variety ‘Yamanlar’ was originally introduced by Mason as ‘Cassaba’. Today, the second variety name is no longer in use. It is a large-flowered selection of Galanthus gracilis with the typical markings, i.e. two small dots in the lower and a dark, band-like marking in the upper part of the inner petals. The leaves are extremely broad and long, which is typical for Galanthus gracilis from Izmir. The name ‘Yamanlar’ comes from the place where this snowdrop was discovered, a mountain of the same name in the province of Izmir in Turkey.