Edelweiss
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- ''For other uses, see Edelweiss (disambiguation).
Edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum) is one of the best known European mountain flowers. The name comes from German edel (meaning noble) and weiß (meaning white). The scientific name, Leontopodium means "lion's paw", being derived from Greek words leon and podion.
Flowering stalks of edelweiss can grow to a size of 3-20 cm (in cultivation, up to 40 cm). The leaves appear woolly because of the covering of white hairs. The flowers are felted and woolly with white hairs, with characteristic bloom consisting of five to six small yellow flower heads (5 mm) surrounded by leaflets in star form. The flowers are in bloom between July and September. It is unequally distributed and prefers rocky limestone places at 2000-2900 m altitude. It is not toxic, but has been used traditionally in folk medicine as a remedy against abdominal and respiratory diseases.
Edelweiss is a protected plant in many countries, including Bulgaria, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Slovakia (Tatra National Park), Slovenia (since 1898), Austria (since 1886) and Romania (since 1933).
It usually grows in inaccessible places, which is why it is associated in Slovenia with mountaineering. Its white colour is considered in Switzerland a symbol of purity and due to its beauty, it obtained its Romanian name, floarea reginei (Queen's flower).
Symbolic uses
- On the Austrian euro coins, a picture of Edelweiss is used on the two euro cent coins.
- On the Romanian 50 Lei banknote.
- In Austria, Edelweiss is also a brand of beer named after the flower.
- Edelweiss is the national flower of Switzerland and Austria.
- It appears in the logos of both the German and Austrian alpine societies.
- In its bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics the city of Salzburg uses a Edelweiss flower like the emblem.
- Edelweiss Air, an international airline based in Switzerland, is named after the flower, which also appears in its logo.
- Edelweiss is a theme and song ("Edelweiss") in the musical and movie The Sound of Music, which takes place in Austria.
- The Edelweiss is the sign of German and Austrian alpine troops, granted to them in World War I for their bravery.
- During the Second World War, German soldiers occasionally pinned edelweiss flowers to their uniforms. The flower was supposed to be the sign of a "true soldier" in the Wehrmacht as it grows only in rugged terrain, generally above the tree line.
- The Edelweiss flower was in fact the symbol of Wehrmacht Gebirgsjäger, or mountain troops, worn as a metal pin on the left side of the cap and as a patch on the right sleeve.
- The rank insignia of Swiss generals has Edelweiss signs instead of stars. A Korpskommandant for example (equivalent to a Lieutenant General in other countries) wears three Edelweiss signs on his collar instead of three stars.
- This flower appears prominently in the comic book adventure Asterix in Switzerland where the protagonists attempt to procure an Edelweiss for its use in an antidote.
Sources
[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5 Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
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