Galanthus this study corresponded to clade nivalis, subseries "Glaucaefolii" with clade Elwesii and subseries "Viridifolii" with clades Woronowii and Alpinus. However, the model did not provide complete resolution. "sensu" Ronsted et al. 2013 "Galanthus" is derived from the Greek γάλα ("gala"), meaning "milk" and ἄνθος ("anthos") meaning "flower", alluding to the colour of the flowers. The epithet "nivalis" is derived from the Latin, meaning "of the snow". The word "Snowdrop" may be derived from the German "Schneetropfen" (Snow-drop), the tear drop shaped pearl earrings popular in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Other, earlier, common names include Candlemas bells, Fair maids of
Luzula nivalis ellipsoidal, smooth, brown and 1.0–1.2 × 0.6–0.7 mm in size. Basel appendages are fibrillate and up to 0.2 mm long. The fruit of "L. nivalis" is sessile and dry with a persistent and glabrous calyx. The rosette-like whorl of short leaves in "Luzula nivalis" allows it to easily be distinguished from "Luzula confusa". "Luzula nivalis" has been described as having an 'arctic-alpine circumpolar' distribution, as "L. nivalis" is an alpine plant which grows in the arctic regions of the northern hemisphere. Places which "L. nivalis" grows in include Norway, Sweden, Finland and Svalbard. "Luzula nivalis" has been found in a