Galanthus reginae-olgae epithet "reginae-olgae" means 'of Queen Olga'; Olga Constantinovna of Russia was then Queen of Greece. The species (or when divided into subspecies, its autonymous subspecies) has been treated as "Galanthus nivalis" subsp. "reginae-olgae". Other regularly used synonyms include "G. olgae" and "G. corcyrensis". The name "Galanthus corcyrensis" has been particularly used for plants that flower in the autumn with the leaves rather than before them. The species has been divided into two subspecies, distinguished by the time of flowering: There is however no sharp division between these two subspecies. "Galanthus reginae-olgae" is native to Sicily and parts of the Balkans,
Chlamydomonas nivalis cell in combination with inorganic material could enhance the darkening over the snow and reduce the surface area of white snow. Due to the absorption of solar energy by the alga, albedo would be reduced and the darker areas on the snow where the blooms form would melt more rapidly. As a result, populations of "C. nivalis" would increase, creating a feedback loop that amplifies melting and reduces sunlight absorbance which contributes to glacier retreat and lowering albedo, as shown experimentally. This is concerning to environmentalists and climate scientists. "C. nivalis" can be used as a model species for studying