Galanthus fosteri" comes from Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and maybe Israel. "Galanthus" grows best in woodland, in acid or alkaline soil, though some are grassland or mountain species. Snowdrops have been known since early times, being described by the classical Greek author Theophrastus in the fourth century BC in his "Περὶ φυτῶν ἱστορία" (Latin: "Historia plantarum", "Enquiry into plants"). He gave it, and similar plants, the name λευκόἲον (λευκος, leukos "white" and ἰόν, ion "violet") from which the later name "Leucojum" was derived. He described the plant as "ἑπεἰ τοῖς γε χρώμασι λευκἂ καἱ οὐ λεπυριώδη" (in colour white and bulbs
Luzula nivalis is the species's basionym and was used before "L. arctica". "Luzula nivalis" is a relatively small perennial herbaceous plant (or "herb") which grows to heights of between in a caespitose fashion. "L. nivalis "has fibrous roots and ascending rhizomes, older plants have vertical stems either at ground level or underground; the plant base is straw-brown/pale castaneous brown in colour. The plant is subglabrous with erect, aerial stems and numerous alternate basal leaves. These crowded leaves are marcescent, flat, remain for many years, usually up to long and wide." L. nivalis" also has 1–2 cauline leaves which are long; both leaf