Edelweiss
Leontopodium alpinum
Family: Asteraceae or Compositae
What it is like
Bloom Color: White. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Late summer, Mid summer. Form: Upright or erect.
Leontopodium alpinum is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.2 m (0ft 8in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.2
Where it is found
Alpine meadows and screes.
SE and SC Europe.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 1
The whole plant is astringent and antitussive.
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Alpine garden, Container, Ground cover, Rock garden, Specimen. Requires a position in full sun in any gritty perfectly drained not too fertile circumneutral or slightly alkaline soil. Given a well-drained soil and protection from winter wet, this is one of the easier alpine plants to grow. The plant has been avidly collected from the wild in the past for its ornamental use as a dried flower - this has caused it to become rare in the wild and it is now a protected species. Special Features:Attractive foliage, Suitable for dried flowers.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the cold greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 5-9
Growth: Medium
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist