''Leontopodium'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of
plant
Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclu ...
s in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Asteraceae
The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...
. The genus is native to
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
and
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
. The fuzzy and somewhat stocky "petals" (technically,
bracts) could be thought of as somewhat resembling lions' paws—hence the genus name combining
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
('lion') and ('foot').
The genus includes the edelweiss (''
L. nivale''), a well-known plant from the mountains of Europe. The term ''edelweiss'' can, more rarely, refer to other members of the genus.
Taxonomy
The following species are currently recognized:
* ''
Leontopodium albogriseum''
* ''
Leontopodium andersonii''
* ''
Leontopodium antennarioides''
* ''
Leontopodium artemisiifolium''
* ''
Leontopodium aurantiacum''
* ''
Leontopodium beerianum''
* ''
Leontopodium blagoveshczenskyi''
* ''
Leontopodium brachyactis''
* ''
Leontopodium calocephalum''
* ''
Leontopodium campestre''
* ''
Leontopodium chuii''
* ''
Leontopodium conglobatum''
* ''
Leontopodium coreanum''
* ''
Leontopodium dedekensii''
* ''
Leontopodium delavayanum''
* ''
Leontopodium discolor''
* ''
Leontopodium fangingense''
* ''
Leontopodium fauriei''
* ''
Leontopodium forrestianum''
* ''
Leontopodium franchetii''
* ''
Leontopodium giraldii''
* ''
Leontopodium gracile''
* ''
Leontopodium haastioides''
* ''
Leontopodium haplophylloides''
* ''
Leontopodium hayachinense''
* ''
Leontopodium himalayanum''
* ''
Leontopodium jacotianum''
* ''
Leontopodium japonicum''
* ''
Leontopodium kamtschaticum''
* ''
Leontopodium kurilense''
* ''
Leontopodium leiolepis''
* ''
Leontopodium leontopodinum''
* ''
Leontopodium longifolium''
* ''
Leontopodium melanolepis''
* ''
Leontopodium meredithae''
* ''
Leontopodium micranthum''
* ''
Leontopodium microphyllum''
* ''
Leontopodium monocephalum''
* ''
Leontopodium muscoides''
* ''
Leontopodium nanum''
* ''
Leontopodium nivale''
* ''
Leontopodium niveum''
* ''
Leontopodium ochroleucum''
* ''
Leontopodium omeiense''
* ''
Leontopodium palibinianum''
* ''
Leontopodium pusillum''
* ''
Leontopodium roseum''
* ''
Leontopodium rosmarinoides''
* ''
Leontopodium shinanense''
* ''
Leontopodium sinense''
* ''
Leontopodium smithianum''
* ''
Leontopodium souliei''
* ''
Leontopodium stellatum''
* ''
Leontopodium stoechas''
* ''
Leontopodium stoloniferum''
* ''
Leontopodium stracheyi''
* ''
Leontopodium subulatum''
* ''
Leontopodium villosulum''
* ''
Leontopodium villosum''
* ''
Leontopodium wilsonii''
In popular culture
''
Leontopodium nivale'', the edelweiss, has been regarded as a national symbol of Austria, worn as a cap emblem by Austrian troops and displayed on Austrian coins. A
song about the plant, written by
Oscar Hammerstein, was featured in the musical production ''
The Sound of Music
''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. S ...
''.
''Edelweiss'' in "The Sound of Music"
/ref>
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1483297
Alpine flora
Asteraceae genera