Leontopodium nivale after three months of groth

''Leontopodium nivale'', commonly called edelweiss () ( ; or ), is a mountain flower belonging to the daisy or sunflower family

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

. The plant prefers rocky limestone places at about altitude. It is a non-toxic plant. Its leaves and flowers are covered with dense hairs, which appear to protect the plant from cold, aridity, and ultraviolet radiation. It is a scarce, short-lived flower found in remote mountain areas and has been used as a symbol for

alpinism Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become mounta ...

, for rugged beauty and purity associated with the Alps and Carpathians. It is a national symbol of several countries, specifically

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. In

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

it was declared a "monument of nature" in 1931. The Edelweiss day is celebrated on 5 March. According to folk tradition, giving this flower to a loved one is a promise of dedication.

Names

The flower's common name is

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

(and or in

Alemannic German Alemannic, or rarely Alemannish (''Alemannisch'', ), is a group of High German dialects. The name derives from the ancient Germanic tribal confederation known as the Alemanni ("all men"). Distribution Alemannic dialects are spoken by approxi ...

), and is a compound of "noble" and "white". The Slovene name is , meaning mountain girl. In

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

, it is known as , which means "cliff flower". The flower is referred to as in the Italian-speaking Alps and in the

French Alps The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such a ...

, meaning "

star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...

of the Alps". was one of several regional names for the plant and achieved wide usage during the first half of the 19th century in the context of early Alpine tourism. Alternative names include ("

cat The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

paw A paw is the soft foot-like part of a mammal, generally a quadruped, that has claws. Common characteristics The paw is characterised by thin, pigmented, keratinised, hairless epidermis covering subcutaneous collagenous and adipose tissue, whi ...

s") and the older ("

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

flower," attested in

Early New High German Early New High German (ENHG) is a term for the period in the history of the German language generally defined, following Wilhelm Scherer, as the period 1350 to 1650, developing from Middle High German and into New High German. The term is the ...

in the 16th century). The scientific name ''Leontopodium'' is a latinisation of the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

(), "lion's paw" (

Modern Greek Modern Greek (, or , ), generally referred to by speakers simply as Greek (, ), refers collectively to the dialects of the Greek language spoken in the modern era, including the official standardized form of the language sometimes referred to ...

borrows the German word). The Latin

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

'' nivale'' means "snow" or "snowy".

Taxonomy

Since 1822, ''

Leontopodium ''Leontopodium'' is a genus of plants in the family (biology), family Asteraceae. The genus is native to Europe and Asia. The fuzzy and somewhat stocky "petals" (technically, bracts) could be thought of as somewhat resembling lions' paws—h ...

'' has no longer been considered part of the genus ''Gnaphalium'', but classified alongside it as a distinct genus within the tribe

Gnaphalieae The Gnaphalieae, commonly known as paper daisies, are a tribe of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is most closely related to the tribes Anthemideae, Astereae, and Calenduleae. Characteristics This group is most diverse in South Ame ...

. In 2003, ''Leontopodium alpinum'' was re-classified as a subspecies of ''Leontopodium nivale''. Thus, the alpine edelweiss is currently recognized as being divided into two subspecies, ''Leontopodium nivale'' subsp. ''alpinum'' (Cass.) Greuter and ''Leontopodium nivale'' subsp. ''nivale''.

Description

The plant's leaves and flowers are covered with white hairs, and appear woolly (

tomentose Trichomes (; ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a plant ...

). Flowering stalks of edelweiss can grow to a size of in the wild, or, up to in cultivation. Each bloom consists of five to six small yellow clustered spikelet-florets () surrounded by fuzzy white "petals" (technically,

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...

s) in a double-star formation. The flowers bloom between July and September. File:Leontopodium alpinum Szarotka alpejska 01.jpg, Early-season version with central floret-pods not yet fully developed. Specimen found in Poland's Tatra Mountains. File:Edelweiss in cold valley.jpg, Typical mid-season appearance. Specimen found in Italy's

Bergamo Alps The Bergamasque Alps or Bergamo Alps (; sometimes translated into English as Orobic Alps) are a mountain range in the Italian Alps. They are located in northern Lombardy and named after the city Bergamo, south of the mountains. Within the Easter ...

. File:Leontopodium alpinum 280808.jpg, Late season version with "fat" appearance from flowered-out central floret-pods and from longer petal-"fuzz". Specimen found in the

Stubai Alps The Stubai Alps (, ) is a mountain range in the Central Eastern Alps of Europe. It derives its name from the Stubaital valley to its east and is located southwest of Innsbruck, Austria. Several peaks form the border between Austria and Italy. The ...

. File:Gnaphalium leontopodium Atlas Alpenflora.jpg, Botanic illustration. File:Leontopodium alpinum 070707.jpg, Several edelweiss together with the typical growth form in the Zillertal Alps in South Tyrol.

Habitat and distribution

''Leontopodium nivale'' prefers rocky limestone locations in the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

Pyrenees Mountains The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. F ...

, and the

Italian Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( ; or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; or – a singular with plural meaning; )Latin ''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which would be segmented ''Apenn-inus'', often used with nouns s ...

at about altitude.

Conservation

''Leontopodium nivale'' is considered a

least concern species A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and Conservation status, categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still p ...

by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

. The population of this species declined due to overcollection, but is now protected by laws,

ex situ conservation FILE:Entrance to the Seed Vault (cropped).jpg, Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Svalbard Global Seed Bank, an ' conservation ''Ex situ'' conservation () is the process of protecting an endangered species, variety, or breed of plant or animal outside ...

and occurrence in

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

Cultivation

''Leontopodium nivale'' is grown in gardens for its interesting inflorescence and silver foliage. It grows in the end of May The plants are short lived and can be grown from seed.

Chemical constituents

Compounds of different classes, such as

terpenoid The terpenoids, also known as isoprenoids, are a class of naturally occurring organic compound, organic chemicals derived from the 5-carbon compound isoprene and its derivatives called terpenes, diterpenes, etc. While sometimes used interchangeabl ...

phenylpropanoid The phenylpropanoids are a diverse family of organic compounds that are biosynthesized by plants from the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine in the shikimic acid pathway. Their name is derived from the six-carbon, aromatic phenyl group and ...

fatty acid In chemistry, in particular in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an aliphatic chain, which is either saturated and unsaturated compounds#Organic chemistry, saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an ...

s and

polyacetylene Polyacetylene (IUPAC name: polyethyne) usually refers to an organic polymer with the repeating unit . The name refers to its conceptual construction from polymerization of acetylene to give a chain with repeating olefin groups. This compound is ...

s are reported in various parts of edelweiss plants. Leoligin was reported as the major lignan constituent. The edelweiss has been used in traditional folk medicine in the Alps for centuries. Extracts from different parts of plants have been used to treat abdominal pain, respiratory diseases, heart disease, and against diarrhea. That is why it was also known as the bellyache flower for a long time. It was also used by the mountain people as a durable flower ("eternal flower") in dry bouquets. The cosmetics industry became aware of the plant and its extracts a few years ago.

Symbolic uses

In the 19th century, the edelweiss became a symbol of the rugged purity of the

Alpine region The main valleys of the Alps, orographically by drainage basin. Rhine basin (North Sea) High Rhine *Aare **Limmat ***Linth (Glarus) **** Lake Walen ***** Seeztal **** Klöntal **** Sernftal **Reuss ***Lake Lucerne ****Sarner Aa (Brünig Pass c ...

and of its native inhabitants. The passion for edelweiss, which had previously been neglected, began in the middle of the 19th century. The focus is on an incident from 1856, when the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I went on a mountain hike to the Pasterzen Glacier on the

Großglockner The Großglockner ( ), or just Glockner, is, at 3,798 metres above the Adriatic (12,461 ft), the highest mountain in Austria and highest mountain in the Alps east of the Brenner Pass. It is part of the larger Glockner Group of the Hohe Tauer ...

with his wife Sisi. There the emperor picked his wife an edelweiss from the steep rock with the words "The first in my life that I picked myself". The affection for edelweiss was a common feature of the famous couple and this well-known story raised people's attention to this alpine plant. The plant became known as a symbol of the Austrian Empress Elisabeth. A portrait by the painter

Franz Xaver Winterhalter Franz Xaver Winterhalter (20 April 1805 – 8 July 1873) was a German painter and lithography, lithographer, known for his flattering portraits of royalty and upper-class society in the mid-19th century. His name has become associated with fashio ...

painted in 1865 shows Empress Elisabeth with nine artificial edelweiss stars braided in her hair. The jewelry made of precious metal and diamonds was designed in the years after 1850 by the then court and chamber jeweler Alexander Emanuel Köchert. With the rise of mountain tourism at the end of the 19th century, the edelweiss became the badge and symbol of alpinists and mountaineers. In order to prevent the extinction of the often picked symbolic species, it was placed under nature protection early on. The edelweiss was soon adopted as a symbol in the logo of numerous alpine clubs and associations. In the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

in particular, the symbolic relationship between defiant, frugal and resilient alpine plants, and the required perseverance, agility and cutting edge of the alpine troops was recognized, emphasized, and often promoted by badges and designations. The Alpen-Edelweiss was assigned as a badge by Emperor Franz Joseph to troops (three regiments of ''

Kaiserschützen The ''k.k. Landesschützen'' (in English, "imperial-royal country 'or'' provincialriflemen") – from 16 January 1917 ''Kaiserschützen'' ("imperial riflemen") – were three regiments of Austro-Hungarian mountain infantry during the '' kais ...

'') of the Austro-Hungarian Army intended for use in the mountains. It was worn on the collar of the uniform skirt. In

Berthold Auerbach Berthold Auerbach (28 February 1812 – 8 February 1882) was a German poet and author. He was the founder of the German "tendency novel", in which fiction is used as a means of influencing public opinion on social, political, moral, and religiou ...

's novel ''Edelweiss'' (1861), the difficulty for an alpinist to acquire an edelweiss flower was exaggerated to the point of claiming: "the possession of one is a proof of unusual daring." This idea at the time was becoming part of the popular mythology of early

. Auerbach's novel appeared in English translation in 1869, prefaced with a quote attributed to

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionism, abolitionist, and poet who led the Transcendentalism, Transcendentalist movement of th ...

: Together with the alpine

gentian ''Gentiana'' () is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the gentian family ( Gentianaceae), the tribe Gentianeae, and the monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. With over 300 species, it is considered a large genus. Gentians are notable for thei ...

, the edelweiss is also a symbol of lonely peaks and pure air in the Alps today. These plants are celebrated with songs and many souvenirs related to them are sold.

Before 1914

* The edelweiss was established in 1907 as the sign of the Imperial-Royal Mountain Troops by Emperor

Franz Joseph I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

. These original three Regiments wore their edelweiss on the collar of their uniform. Before 1918 there were also innumerable edelweiss badges in the Habsburg army. These include, for example, the military

mountain guide A mountain guide is a specially trained and experienced professional mountaineer who is certified by local authorities or mountain guide associations. They are considered to be high-level experts in mountaineering, and are hired to instruct or ...

award (ice ax with edelweiss and winding mountain rope), edelweiss emblems on the collar and cap or badges from alpine patrol companies. Many alpine units, commandos and soldiers proudly wore unofficial edelweiss badges.Hermann Hinterstoisser: Das Edelweiß – Alpenblume mit Symbolkraft. In: Truppendienst (Austrian Army), 2012, Nr. 5/329. * The edelweiss also played a role in the troop designation, which also reflected the special relationship with the mountains. In addition to the "Edelweiss Corps" (

k.u.k. The phrase Imperial and Royal (, ) refers to the court/government of the Habsburgs in a broader historical perspective. Some modern authors restrict its use to the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. During that period, it ind ...

XIV. Corps) of Archduke Joseph Ferdinand, an "Edelweiss Division" was formed in the course of the First World War. It essentially consisted of

Kaiserjäger The ''Kaiserjäger'' (officially designated by the Imperial and Royal (''k.u.k.'') military administration as the ''Tiroler Jäger-Regimenter'' or "Tyrolean Rifle Regiments"), were formed in 1895 as four normal infantry regiments within the Comm ...

of the 3rd and 4th regiments, the Salzburg infantry regiment "Archduke Rainer" No. 59 and the Upper Austrian infantry regiment "Grand Duke of Hesse and the Rhine" No. 14. In 1915,

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the edelweiss was granted to the German alpine troops for their bravery. Today, it is still the insignia of the Austrian, French, Slovenian,

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

, and German alpine troops. * In the

Swiss Army The Swiss Armed Forces (; ; ; ; ) are the military and security force of Switzerland, consisting of land and air service branches. Under the country's militia system, regular soldiers constitute a small part of the military and the rest are ...

, the highest ranks (brigadier general and higher) have badges in the form of edelweiss flowers, where other military branch badges would have stars.

World Wars

* The song '' Stelutis alpinis'' (

Friulian Friulian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Friuli region in northeast Italy. * Sometimes, by improper extension, something of, from, or related to the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Friuli-Venezia Giulia () is one of the 20 regions o ...

for "alpine edelweiss"), written by Arturo Zardini when he was an evacuee due to World War I, is now considered the unofficial anthem of

Friuli Friuli (; ; or ; ; ) is a historical region of northeast Italy. The region is marked by its separate regional and ethnic identity predominantly tied to the Friulians, who speak the Friulian language. It comprises the major part of the autono ...

* The soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army named a position right next to the

Valparola Pass The Valparola Pass () (el. 2,168 m, in Ladin language, Ladin : "Ju de Valparola") is a high mountain pass in the Dolomites in the province of Belluno in Italy. The pass lies a little west of Falzarego Pass. The hut "Rifugio Passo Valpar ...

as the "Edelweiss position" during World War I. * The song was written by

Herms Niel Ferdinand Friedrich Hermann Nielebock (17 April 1888 – 16 July 1954), known as Herms Niel, was a German composer of military songs and marches. Biography Upon finishing school in 1902, Niel completed his apprenticeship with the Genthin choirma ...

for soldiers during World War II * The edelweiss was a badge of the

Edelweiss Pirates The Edelweiss Pirates ( ) were a loosely organized group of youths opposed to the status quo of Nazi Germany. They emerged in western Germany out of the German Youth Movement of the late 1930s in response to the strict regimentation of the Hitler ...

, anti-Nazi youth groups in the

Third Reich Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

, and was worn on clothes (such as a blouse or a suit). * The edelweiss was the symbol of Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS

Gebirgsjäger ''Gebirgsjäger'' () is a German language, German military term for light infantry trained in mountain warfare. Currently used in the militaries of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the term includes the word ''Jäger (military), jäger'', anot ...

, or mountain rangers worn as a metal pin on the left side of the mountain cap, on the band of the service dress cap, and as a patch on the right sleeve. It is still the symbol of the mountain brigade in the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

. * The World War II Luftwaffe unit (51st Bomber Wing) was known as the Edelweiss Wing. * Operation "Edelweiss" was a project of the US

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the first intelligence agency of the United States, formed during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines ...

to get information about Hitler's

Alpine Fortress The Alpine Fortress () or Alpine Redoubt was the World War II German national redoubt planned by Heinrich Himmler in November and December 1943."Himmler started laying the plans for underground warfare in the last two months of 1943.... The pl ...

in 1945.

After 1945

* The edelweiss is worn by troops in the 1st Battalion of the United States Army's

10th Special Forces Group The 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) (10th SFG (A), or 10th Group) is an active duty United States Army Special Forces (SF) Group. 10th Group is designed to deploy and execute nine doctrinal missions: Unconventional warfare (United States), ...

, who adopted the symbol under the command of Colonel Aaron Bank after it had occupied a

Waffen SS The (; ) was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both German-occupied Europe and unoccupied lands. ...

officer school ( Junkerschule) at Flint Kaserne. * A song, "

Edelweiss ''Leontopodium nivale'', commonly called edelweiss () ( ; or ), is a mountain flower belonging to the daisy or sunflower family Asteraceae. The plant prefers rocky limestone places at about altitude. It is a non-toxic plant. Its leaves and f ...

", was written for

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their musical ...

's musical ''

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''. ...

'' (1959). * Since 2002, the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

2 euro cent coin has depicted an edelweiss. From 1959 to 2001, the one-schilling coin depicted a bunch of three flowers. * It is the symbol of the Bulgarian Tourist Union and the Bulgarian Mountain Control and Lifeguard Service. * It is also the symbol of the Swiss national tourism organisation. * It is featured on the Romanian fifty-lei note. * An Austrian brand of beer is ''Edelweiß''. * The edelweiss is used in the logotypes of several

alpine club Alpine clubs are typically large social clubs that revolve around climbing, hiking, and other outdoor activities. Many alpine clubs also take on aspects typically reserved for local sport associations, providing education and training courses, se ...

s such as the ''Deutscher Alpenverein'' (

German Alpine Club The German Alpine Club (, DAV for short) is the world's largest climbing association and the eighth-largest sporting association in Germany. It is a member of the German Olympic Sports Confederation and the competent body for sport and competiti ...

), the ''Österreichischer Alpenverein'' (

Austrian Alpine Club The Austrian Alpine Club () has about 700,000 members in 194 sections and is the largest mountaineering organisation in Austria. It is responsible for the upkeep of over 234 alpine huts in Austria and neighbouring countries. It also maintains ove ...

), the Societá Alpina Friulana (Friulian Alpine Club) or the ''Alpenverein Südtirol'' (

South Tyrol Alpine Club The South Tyrol Alpine Club (, ), abbreviated AVS, is an association of German and Ladin-speaking mountain climbers in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Founded in 1946, it is subdivided into 36 sections and 58 local divisions. The AVS is based in Bol ...

). The edelweiss is also used in the logotype of the

Union of International Mountain Leader Associations The Union of International Mountain Leader Associations (UIMLA) was founded in November 2004. It was decided at the meeting that all mountain leader associations would be awarded the same carnet and badge giving an internationally recognised ide ...

(UIMLA). * The ''Südtiroler Volkspartei'' (

South Tyrolean People's Party The South Tyrolean People's Party (, SVP) is a regionalism (politics), regionalist and mostly Christian democracy, Christian-democratic list of political parties in South Tyrol, political party in South Tyrol, an Autonomous administrative divisio ...

) uses the flower as its logo. * In ''

Asterix in Switzerland ''Asterix in Switzerland'' (, "Asterix in the land of the Helvetii") is the sixteenth volume of the ''Asterix'' comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was originally serialized in ''Pilote'' magazine ...

'' (1970), the plot is driven by a quest to find edelweiss in the Swiss mountains and bring a bloom back to Gaul to cure a poisoned Roman quaestor. *

Edelweiss Air Edelweiss Air AG is a Swiss leisure and charter airline and the sister company of Swiss International Air Lines and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. It operates flights to European and intercontinental destinations from its base at Zurich ...

, an international airline based in Switzerland, is named after the flower, which also appears in its logo. * The musician

Moondog Louis Thomas Hardin (May 26, 1916 – September 8, 1999), known professionally as Moondog, was an American composer, musician, performer, music theoretician, poet and inventor of musical instruments. Largely self-taught as a composer, his ...

composed the song "High on a Rocky Ledge", inspired by the Edelweiss flower. * "Bring me Edelweiss" is the best-known song of the music group

. * Polish professional ice hockey team MMKS Podhale Nowy Targ uses an edelweiss as its emblem. *

Edelweiss Lodge and Resort Edelweiss Lodge and Resort is a U.S. Department of Defense owned recreation hotel in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany operated by Armed Forces Recreation Centers. Located in the Bavarian Alps near the Austrian border, the facility opened in Septe ...

is a military resort located in Garmisch, Germany. * The song La Belle Fleur Sauvage by

Lord Huron Lord Huron is a Los Angeles-based American indie rock band composed of Mark Barry (drums, percussion), Miguel Briseño (bass, keyboard, theremin), Tom Renaud (guitar) and founder Ben Schneider (guitar, lead vocals). They released their debut albu ...

has lyrics inspired by the tradition of presenting a loved one with an edelweiss. * In the 7th instalment of the Dark Parables franchise, the ''Snow Edelweiss'' flower is revealed to be the flower associated with the Snow Queen, Snow White, the counterpart to her fraternal twin brother, Prince Ross Red of the Fiery

Rosa Rosa or De Rosa may refer to: Plants and animals * ''Rosa'' (plant), the genus of roses * Rosa (sea otter), a sea otter that has become popular on the internet * Rosa (cow), a Spanish-born cow People * Rosa (given name) * Rosa (surname) * San ...

flower. * In HBO's 2001 mini series '' Band of Brothers'', edelweiss is found on a dead German soldier's uniform. When asked about this, Captain Lewis Nixon replied, "That's edelweiss. It grows in the mountains, above the treeline. Which means he climbed up there to get it. Supposed to be the mark of a true soldier." *In the tactical RPG, Valkyria Chronicles, the team names their tank "The Edelweiss" as a symbol of perseverance against their enemy. *In the Korean drama

Crash Landing on You ''Crash Landing on You'' () is a South Korean television series written by Park Ji-eun, directed by Lee Jeong-hyo, and starring Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Seo Ji-hye and Kim Jung-hyun. It aired on tvN from December 14, 2019 to February 16, 202 ...

, Ri Jyeong Hyuk gives Yoon Se-ri a potted edelweiss. He later asks her to meet him "where the edelweiss grows", referring to the

Jungfrau region The Jungfrau Region (German: ''Jungfrauregion'') is a region of the Bernese Oberland, at the foot of the Bernese Alps. It consists of two valleys south of Interlaken: that of Grindelwald and that of Lauterbrunnen, both drained by the Lütschine. ...

where they later meet again. *Edelweiss is used as a symbol by 10th Mountain Assault Brigade of the

Ukrainian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...

. In February 2023 the brigade was granted the honorific "Edelweiss" by President

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

. *After Lithuania regained its independence, children of German descent living in Lithuania formed the Edelweiss community, later renamed the Edelweiss-Wolfskinder (

Wolf children is a 2012 Japanese animated fantasy drama film directed and co-written by Mamoru Hosoda. The second original feature film directed by Hosoda and the first work written by him, the film stars the voices of Aoi Miyazaki, Takao Osawa, and H ...

). * "Tiroler Edelweiss" is a song by California

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...

band

Minenwerfer ''Minenwerfer'' ("mine launcher" or "mine thrower") is the German name for a class of short range mine shell launching mortars used extensively during the First World War by the Imperial German Army. The weapons were intended to be used by engin ...

from their 2019 album ''Alpenpässe'' recounting the Alpine theater of World War I.

Gallery

File:Eisernes-Edelweiss.jpg,

World War One World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting took place mainly in Europe and th ...

-era nail-fundraiser monument: the ''Iron Edelweiss'' of Enns, Austria. File:Abzeichen Grüntentag 1963.jpg, 1963 German mountain sport pin. File:Leontopodium-alpinum04.jpg,

logo pin. File:50 lei. Romania, 2005 a.jpg, On a Romanian fifty lei note. File:Uimla.gif, Logo of the

. File:Hrvatska gorska sluzba spasavanja logo 0110 1.jpg, Logo of

Croatian Mountain Rescue Service Croatian Mountain Rescue Service () is a national, voluntary, professional, humanitarian and non-partisan association working in the public interest. It is dedicated to preventing accidents, and providing rescue and first aid services in mountains ...

File:ZRHEdelweiss.jpg,

Aircraft livery An aircraft livery is a set of comprehensive insignia comprising color, graphic, and typographical identifiers which operators (airlines, governments, air forces and occasionally private and corporate owners) apply to their aircraft. As aircraf ...

. File:ЦМ ВОВ. Кабина Ju-88 (Германия).jpg, Nazi-era

nose art Nose art is a decorative painting or design on the fuselage of an aircraft, usually on the front fuselage. While begun for practical reasons of identifying friendly units, the practice evolved to express the individuality often constrained by ...

on a bomber from the "Edelweiss Wing" (KG 51). File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-402-0265-03A, Flugzeug Junkers Ju 88, Startvorbereitung.jpg, Nazi-era photo with KG 51 insignia on a

Ju 88 The Junkers Ju 88 is a twin-engined multirole combat aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works. It was used extensively during the Second World War by the ''Luftwaffe'' and became one of ...

bomber. File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-340-0175-20A, Im Westen, Geschwader--Staffelabzeichen.jpg, 1939 Nazi-era aircraft nose art. File:Ciecm.JPG, French mountain troops school emblem.NOTE: CIECM meaning ''Centre d' Instruction et d' Entraînement au Combat en Montagne'' (reference only). File:LogoRMSV.tif, Logo of German sports association RMSV. File:Edelweiss-Auszeichnung 3 Sterne.png, Rank insignia in the Swiss postal service. File:Grenzschutzbergführer.JPG,

German Federal Police The Federal Police (, , BPOL) is the national and principal Federal police, federal law enforcement agency of the German Federal Government, subordinate to the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community. The Federated Police is meant to be r ...

rank insignia patch. File:Emblema Vânătorilor de Munte.jpg, Patch used by Vânatori de munte(The elite mountain troops of the Romanian Land Forces) File:Stamp of Kyrgyzstan 034.jpg, Kyrgyz postage stamp from 1994. File:Swiss-Commemorative-Coin-2004b-CHF-20-obverse.png, On 2004 Swiss coin. File:100 CHF 1925 681736.png, On 1925 gold 100

Swiss franc The Swiss franc, or simply the franc, is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia which is surrounded by Swiss territory. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) iss ...

s coin. File:Coin of Kazakhstan 500-Edelveis-rev.jpg,

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

500 tenge coin. File:CHE OF9 General.svg, Four-"Star" rank insignia of the top Swiss general. File:2. JaboG 34.png, West/German military ''"Allgäu"'' fighter/bomber group 1958–2003. File:Gebirgsjägerbrigade 23 (Bundeswehr).svg, West/German military 23rd mountain rifles troops emblem. File:Szarotka.png, Insignia of the Polish Army

Podhale Rifles Podhale Rifles or Podhale Riflemen (, nicknamed "Podhalańczycy") is the traditional name of the mountain infantry units of the Polish Army. Formed in 1918 out of volunteers of the region of Podhale, in 1919 the smaller detachments of Podhale R ...

. File:Szarotka 21BSP0.svg, Insignia of the Polish Army 21st Podhale Rifles Brigade. File:17osn Edelweiss.jpg, Russian military 17 ОСН "Edelweiss" emblem. File:Blason Vaujany.svg, Arms of

Vaujany Vaujany () is a commune in the canton of Oisans-Romanche, in the Isère department in southeastern France. The village is picturesque, with excellent views of the Grand Galbert mountain at the head of the valley. Population Economy The hyd ...

, France. File:Wappen at au.png, Arms of Au, Austria. File:Actual Brașov county CoA.png, Arms of the county of

Brașov Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County. According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...

, Romania. File:Dramsha gerb.jpg, Arms of Dramsha, Bulgaria. File:Blason de la ville de Bonnefamille (Isère).svg, Arms of Bonnefamille, France. File:Blason ville fr Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (Haute-Savoie).svg, Arms of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France. File:Blason vile fr Les Carroz d'Arâches.svg, Arms of Carroz d'Arâches, France. File:Wappen Eisenaerzt.png, Arms of Eisenärzt, Germany. File:Edelweiss Biertender.jpg, Logo of Edelweiss Beer. File:Ulrich Wille.jpg, General's "star" on the saddle of World War I-era Swiss commander

Ulrich Wille Conrad Ulrich Sigmund Wille (5 April 1848 – 31 January 1925) was a Swiss military officer who served as General of the Swiss Army during the First World War. Inspired by the Prussian techniques that he had been able to observe at the time of ...

. File:Engelbert Dollfuss.png, On the hat and collar circa 1933 of Austria's

Engelbert Dollfuss Engelbert Dollfuss (alternatively Dollfuß; 4 October 1892 – 25 July 1934) was an Austrian politician and dictator who served as chancellor of Federal State of Austria, Austria between 1932 and 1934. Having served as Minister for Forests and ...

. File:CohMont1.jpg,

Imperial Roman The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

tombstone of Austrian soldier Marius son of Ructinus. File:Farm Edelweiss in Namibia Bird Eye View.jpg, Bird's eye view of farm Edelweiss 11 km west of

Stampriet Stampriet is a village in the Hardap Region of central Namibia. It had 3,388 inhabitants in 2023. Geography Stampriet is located north-east of Mariental and above sea level, in a barren area on the upper reaches of the Auob River where huma ...

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

References

External links

{{Authority control nivale Flora of Europe Alpine flora Flora of the Alps Subshrubs Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN Flora of the Carpathians