Leontopodium nivale

Edelweiss
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1 )
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Genus:	Leontopodium
Species:	L. nivale
Binomial name
Leontopodium nivale (Ten.) Huet ex Hand.-Mazz.c
Synonyms
Leontopodium alpinum Colm. ex Cass.

Leontopodium nivale, commonly called edelweiss (

The flower's common name Edelweiß is German, and is a compound of edel "noble" and weiß "white". Slovenian name is planika, meaning mountain girl. In Romania, it is known as floare de colț, which means 'cliffhanger's flower.' The flower is referred to as Stella Alpina in the Italian-speaking Alps and étoile des Alpes in the French Alps, meaning 'star of the Alps.'^[3]

Edelweiß 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.^[4] Alternative names include Chatzen-Talpen ("cat's paws") and the older Wullbluomen ("wool flower," attested in the 16th century).^[5][6]

The scientific name Leontopodium is a latinisation of the Greek leontopódion, "lion's paw".^[7] The Latin specific epithet nivale means "snow" or "snowy".^[8]

Taxonomy

Since 1822, Leontopodium has no longer been considered part of the genus Gnaphalium, but classified alongside it as a distinct genus within the tribe Gnaphalieae.^{[citation needed]} In 2003, Leontopodium alpinum was re-classified as a subspecies of Leontopodium nivale.^[9] Thus, the alpine edelweiss is currently recognized as being divided into two subspecies, Leontopodium nivale subsp. alpinum (Cass.) Greuter and Leontopodium nivale subsp. nivale.^[10]

Description

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

• 
  Early-season version with central floret-pods not yet fully developed. Specimen found in Poland's Tatra Mountains.
• 
  Typical mid-season appearance. Specimen found in Italy's

  Bergamo Alps

  .
• 
  Late season version with "fat" appearance from flowered-out central floret-pods and from longer petal-"fuzz".^[11] Specimen found in the Stubai Alps.^[12]
• 
  Botanic illustration.
• 
  Several edelweiss together with the typical growth form in the Zillertal Alps in South Tyrol.

Habitat and distribution

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2023)

Leontopodium nivale prefers rocky limestone locations in the

Conservation

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2023)

Leontopodium nivale is considered a least concern species by the IUCN.^[14] The population of this species declined due to overcollection, but is now protected by laws, ex situ conservation and occurrence in national parks.^[14]

Cultivation

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2023)

Leontopodium nivale is grown in gardens for its interesting inflorescence and silver foliage. It grows in the end of May^[15] The plants are short lived and can be grown from seed.^[16]

Chemical constituents

Compounds of different classes, such as terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, fatty acids and polyacetylenes are reported in various parts of edelweiss plants.^[17] Leoligin was reported as the major lignan constituent.^[18]

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.^[19]

Symbolic uses

In the 19th century, the edelweiss became a symbol of the rugged purity of the Alpine region 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 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.^[20]

The plant became known as a symbol of the Austrian Empress Elisabeth. A portrait by the painter Franz Xaver Winterhalter 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.^[21]

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 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) of the Austro-Hungarian Army intended for use in the mountains. It was worn on the collar of the uniform skirt.^[22]

In

• The edelweiss was established in 1907 as the sign of the
  Franz Joseph I. 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 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.^[26]
• 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" (
  Polish, Romanian
  , and German alpine troops.
• In the
  Swiss Army
  , the highest ranks (brigadier general and higher) have badges in the form of edelweiss flowers, where other military branch badges would have stars.

• The song Stelutis alpinis (Friulian 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^[27]
• The soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army named a position right next to the Valparola Pass as the "Edelweiss position" during World War I.^[28]
• The song Es war ein Edelweiss was written by Herms Niel for soldiers during World War II
• The edelweiss was a badge of the
  Third Reich
  , and was worn on clothes (such as a blouse or a suit).
• The edelweiss was the symbol of Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS Gebirgsjäger, 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 World War II Luftwaffe unit Kampfgeschwader 51 (51st Bomber Wing) was known as the Edelweiss Wing.
• Operation "Edelweiss" was a project of the US Office of Strategic Services to get information about Hitler's Alpine Fortress in 1945.

After 1945

• The edelweiss is worn by troops in the 1st Battalion of the United States Army's 10th Special Forces Group, who adopted the symbol under the command of Colonel Aaron Bank after it had occupied a Waffen SS officer school (Junkerschule) at Flint Kaserne.
• A song, "Edelweiss", was written for Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical The Sound of Music (1959).
• Since 2002, the Austrian 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^[29] and the Bulgarian Mountain Control and Lifeguard Service.^[30]
• It is also the symbol of the Swiss national tourism organisation.^[31]
• 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 clubs such as the Deutscher Alpenverein (German Alpine Club), the Österreichischer Alpenverein (Austrian Alpine Club), the Societá Alpina Friulana (Friulian Alpine Club^[32]) or the Alpenverein Südtirol (South Tyrol Alpine Club). The edelweiss is also used in the logotype of the Union of International Mountain Leader Associations
  (UIMLA).
• The Südtiroler Volkspartei (South Tyrolean People's Party) uses the flower as its logo.
• In Asterix in Switzerland (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, an international airline based in Switzerland, is named after the flower, which also appears in its logo.
• The musician Moondog 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 Edelweiss.
• Polish professional ice hockey team MMKS Podhale Nowy Targ uses an edelweiss as its emblem.
• Edelweiss Lodge and Resort is a military resort located in Garmisch, Germany.
• The song La Belle Fleur Sauvage by Lord Huron 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
  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 perseverence against their enemy.
• In the Korean drama
  Jungfrau region
  where they later meet again.
• Edelweiss is used as a symbol by
  10th Mountain Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In February 2023 the brigade was granted the honorific "Edelweiss" by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.^[33]
• After Lithuania regained its independence, children of German descent living in Lithuania formed the Edelweiss community, later renamed the Edelweiss-Wolfskinder (Wolf children).^[34]
• "Tiroler Edelweiss" is a song by California black metal band Minenwerfer from their 2019 album Alpenpässe recounting the Alpine theater of World War I.

Gallery

• Some symbolic use from ancient times to the present
• 
  Enns

  , Austria.
• 
  1963 German mountain sport pin.
• 
  German Alpine Club logo pin.^[35]
• 
  On a Romanian fifty lei note.
• 
  Logo of the Union of International Mountain Leader Associations.
• 
  Logo of Croatian Mountain Rescue Service
• 
  Aircraft livery of Edelweiss Air.
• 
  Nazi-era nose art on a bomber from the "Edelweiss Wing" (KG 51).
• 
  Nazi-era photo with KG 51 insignia on a Ju 88 bomber.
• 
  1939 Nazi-era aircraft nose art.
• 
  French mountain troops school emblem.^[36]
• 
  Logo of German sports association RMSV.
• 
  Rank insignia in the Swiss postal service.
• 
  German Federal Police

  rank insignia patch.
• 
  Kyrgyz postage stamp from 1994.
• 
  On 2004 Swiss coin.
• 
  On 1925 gold 100 Swiss francs coin.
• 
  Kazakhstan 500 tenge coin.
• 
  Four-"Star" rank insignia of the top Swiss general.
• 
  West/German military "Allgäu" fighter/bomber group 1958–2003.
• 
  West/German military 23rd mountain rifles troops emblem.
• 
  Insignia of the Polish Army Podhale Rifles.
• 
  Insignia of the Polish Army 21st Podhale Rifles Brigade.
• 
  Russian military 17 ОСН "Edelweiss" emblem.
• 
  Arms of Vaujany, France.
• 
  Arms of Au, Austria.
• 
  Arms of the county of Brașov, Romania.
• 
  Arms of Dramsha, Bulgaria.
• 
  Arms of Bonnefamille, France.
• 
  Arms of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France.
• 
  Arms of Carroz d'Arâches, France.
• 
  Arms of Eisenärzt, Germany.
• 
  Logo of Edelweiss Beer.
• 
  General's "star" on the saddle of World War I-era Swiss commander Ulrich Wille.
• 
  On the hat and collar circa 1933 of Austria's Engelbert Dollfuss.
• 
  Imperial Roman tombstone of Austrian soldier Marius son of Ructinus.
• 
  Bird's eye view of farm Edelweiss 11 km west of Stampriet / Namibia

See also

• Flora of the Alps
• Golden age of alpinism

References