Edelweiss
Edelweiss: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
Alpine edelweiss, Leontopodium nivale subsp. alpinum, is a small perennial in the daisy family. The name Leontopodium alpinum is also still used. Its appearance is defined by woolly white, star-shaped flowering heads and narrow grey-green leaves. It is associated with mountains of central and southern Europe, particularly the Alps.The plant develops a low rosette followed by short leafy stems carrying the flower heads. In natural habitats, it is often only a few centimetres to around twenty centimetres tall. The elongated leaves narrow towards their base. A covering of fine hairs gives them a silvery or whitish appearance, distinct from smooth green foliage. This texture occurs on several parts of the plant and contributes to its compact outline.The large white star is not one flower made up of long petals. It consists of bracts, modified leaves arranged around small flower heads. Each head contains tiny yellowish tubular flowers. The densely hairy…
