Leontopodium alpinum

Taxobox
name = Edelweiss

---

image_width = 240px
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Asterales
familia = Asteraceae
tribus = Gnaphalieae [cite journal | url = http://www.amjbot.org/cgi/content/full/87/2/259 | title = Phylogeny of South African Gnaphalieae (Asteraceae) based on two noncoding chloroplast sequences | author = Randall J. Bayer, Christopher F. Puttock, and Scot A. Kelchner | journal = American Journal of Botany | year = 2000 | volume = 87 | pages = 259–272 | doi = 10.2307/2656914 | pmid = 10675314]
genus = "Leontopodium"
species = "L. alpinum"
binomial = "Leontopodium alpinum"
binomial_authority = Cass., 1822

Edelweiss ("Leontopodium alpinum"), one of the best-known European mountain flowers, belongs to the sunflower family (Asteraceae). The name comes from German "edel" (meaning "noble") and "weiß" (meaning "white"). The scientific name, "Leontopodium" means "lion's paw", being derived from Greek words "leon" (lion) and "podion" (diminutive of "pous", foot).

Flowering stalks of edelweiss can grow to a size of 3–20 cm (in cultivation, up to 40 cm). The leaves appear woolly because of the covering of white hairs. The flowers are felted and woolly with white hairs, with characteristic bloom consisting of five to six small yellow flower heads (5 mm) surrounded by leaflets in star form. The flowers are in bloom between July and September. It is unequally distributed and prefers rocky limestone places at 2000–2900 m altitude. It is not toxic, and has been used traditionally in folk medicine as a remedy against abdominal and respiratory diseases.

Edelweiss is a protected plant in many countries, including Bulgaria, Croatia, Switzerland, France, Italy, Germany, Spain (Ordesa National Park), Slovakia (Tatra National Park), Slovenia (in Gorizia and Gradisca since 1896, in Carniola since 1898), Austria (since 1886) and Romania (since 1933).

It usually grows in inaccessible places, which is why it is associated in many countries of the alpine region with mountaineering. Its white colour is considered a symbol of purity, and holds a Latin as well as Greek name, "floarea reginei" (Queen's flower).

Mythology

The story goes that once, long, long ago, the Alps were far taller than they are these days. In those days, atop one of the snowcapped, precipice filled mountains lived an Ice Queen. She was said to be fair as snow and hauntingly beautiful. She was served by faithful gnomes, who lived with her on those slopes.

The Queen would sing melodiously and her sound would lure many a shepherd to lose his way in the mountains and come upon her abode. However beautiful she was, she had a flaw; her heart was frozen cold as if it were made of pure ice.

She would play with these hapless shepherds who sought her voice for a while. When she got tired of this play, the gnomes would toss the men off the cliffs to their death.

So she lived, through long ages alone except for poor companionship of her slaves.

It so happened that one of these shepherds, following her voice, entered into her abode. There was nothing different about him, this Man, nothing special, nothing noteworthy. But the Ice Queen steadily grew to love this man.

She would sing and he would sit awed beside her throne for hours and days to end. They had their love.

But the gnomes grew jealous, fearing that one day the Ice Queen may marry this mortal. Thus they conspired and threw him headlong into the valley below, where his heart burst asunder.

Seeing this, for the first and last time, the eyes of the Ice Queen warmed. Her heart melted a little and a single teardrop fell off her eternally beautiful sad cheeks.

It is this tear that has become the edelweiss , the most beautiful flower of the Alps.

Possibly the etymology of the word too is derived from this fable.

ymbolic uses

*On the Austrian euro coins, a picture of Edelweiss is used on the two-euro-cent coins.
*It is the symbol of the ["Bulgarian Tourist Union"] (Balgarski Turisticheski Saiuz,Български туристически съюз(БТС)) [http://btsbg.org/ Bulgarian Tourist Union]
*On the Romanian 50 Lei banknote.
*Edelweiss Society
*In Austria, "Edelweiß" is also a brand of beer named after the flower.
*Edelweiss is the unofficial national flower of Switzerland.
*It appears in the logos of both the German and Austrian alpine societies.
*In its bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics the city of Salzburg uses an Edelweiss flower as the emblem. [http://www.aldaver.com/Images/Owb/14/lg2014sz.gif]
*Edelweiss Air, an international airline based in Switzerland, is named after the flower, which also appears in its logo.
*The song "Edelweiss", which is about the flower, is from the 1959 musical "The Sound of Music", which takes place in Austria.
*"Bring me Edelweiss" is the best-known song of the music group Edelweiss.
* The Edelweiss was established 1907 as the sign of the Austrian-Hungarian alpine troops by Emperor Franz Joseph I. These original 3 Regiments wore their edelweiss on the collar of their uniform. During World War I (1915) the Edelweiss was granted to the German alpine troops, for their bravery. Today it is still the insignia of the Austrian, Polish, and German alpine troops.
* Edelweiss was a badge of Edelweiss Pirates (Edelweisspiraten)—the anti-Nazi youth groups in Third Reich. It was worn on the clothes (e.g. a blouse or a suit).
*The Edelweiss flower was the symbol of Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS Gebirgsjäger, or mountain infantry, 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 division in the German army today.
*The rank insignia of Swiss generals has "Edelweiss" signs instead of stars. A "Korpskommandant" for example (equivalent to a Lieutenant General in other countries) wears three "Edelweiss" signs on his collar instead of three stars.
*This flower appears prominently in the comic book adventure "Asterix in Switzerland" where the protagonists attempt to procure an Edelweiss for its use in an antidote.
*"Edelweiss" (or simply Edel) is an increasingly popular female name in the United States.

Gallery

References

* Chiej, Roberto. "The Macdonald Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants". Sylvia Mulcahy, trans. London: MacDonald, 1984. ISBN 0-356-10541-5, ISBN 0356105423. Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

* Huxley, Anthony, ed. "The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening". London: MacMillan Press, 1992. ISBN 0-333-47494-5. Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

* Michael J. Dobner, Stefan Schwaiger, Ilse H. Jenewein, Hermann Stuppner, "Antibacterial activity of Leontopodium alpinum (Edelweiss)". Journal of ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 89 (2003) 301-303. Antimicrobial acitivity of Edelweiss is tested and the results support the ethnomedicinal use of Leontopodium alpinum for the treatment of respiratory and abdominal disorders.

* Ester Speroni, Stefan Schwaiger, Pilipp Egger, Anna-Theres Berger, Rinaldo Cervellati, Paolo Govoni, Maria Clelia Guerra, Hermann Stuppner " In vivo efficacy of different extracts of Edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum Cass.) in animal models". Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2005. Extracts of aerial parts and roots of Edelweiss were investigated for their anti-oxidant capacity and their anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects after oral administration. Significant reduction of the inflammatory response was found.

* Michael J. Dobner, Silvio Sosa, Stefan Schwaiger, Gianmario Altinier, Roberto Della Loggia, Nicole C.Kaneider, Hermann Stuppner "Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Leontopodium alpinum and its Constituents" Planta Med 004; 70:502-508 Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart New York, ISSN 0032-0943

* Stefan Schwaiger, Rinaldo Cervellati, Christoph Seer, Ernst P. Ellmerer, Nancy About, Isabelle Renimel, Celine Godenir, Patrice Andre, Frank Gafner and Hermann Stuppner "Leonotopodic acid - a novel highly substituted glucaric acite derivative from Edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum Cassl) and its antioxidative and DNA protecting properties" Tetragedron 61 (2005) 4621-4630. Several methods showed pronounced antioxidatve effects of Leontopodic acid.

* K. Kertesz, Zs. Balint, Z. Vertesy, G.I. Mark, V. Lousse, J.P. Vigneron, L.P. Biro "Photonic crystal type structures of biological origin: Structural and spectral characterization". Current Applied Physics 6 (2006) 252-258. The UV protection mechanism of Edelweiss has been investigated and this article presents fully supportive data that the protection mechanisms are based on coupling by nanostructured, highly selective couplers the harmful UV radiation in propagating modes along fibers containing UV absorbing pigment.

External links

*Commons-inline|Leontopodium alpinum

* [http://www.hribi.net/rastline.asp?lng=1&id=1 Edelweiss - Hribi.net]

* Edelweiss Growers' More about Edelweiss [http://edelweissgrowers.com/page2.html]

* Athanor Skin Care's Edelweiss page [http://swissalpinecosmetics.com/edelweiss.html]