2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Edelweiss (lat. Guaphalium) - a flowering perennial from the Astrovye family. The second name is lion's foot. And translated from German, edelweiss sounds like "noble white".
Description
Edelweiss is a rhizomatous perennial that can be either whitish or gray tomentose. The height of this plant ranges from ten to twenty-five centimeters, however, sometimes half-meter specimens are also found.
The narrow edelweiss leaves are always fleecy from below - this feature reliably protects them from excessive evaporation of moisture. And on top, the leaves are usually painted in silvery tones pleasant to the eye. Lanceolate leaves sit very sparsely on the stems, and in the lower parts of the stems they invariably form graceful basal rosettes.
The complex terminal inflorescences of edelweiss look like small baskets gathering in capitate inflorescences, and each inflorescence is surrounded from below by a small rosette of pubescent leaves. And very small, slightly yellowish or white flowers usually bloom in July.
In total, more than thirty species of edelweiss are known in nature.
Where grows
Edelweiss is most often found in the mountainous regions of Eurasia (it can be especially often seen in Southeast Asia), with the exception of Western Asia, the Caucasus and South America. And quite often it grows at an altitude of two thousand meters, on hard-to-reach sites and slopes, as well as in rocky crevices or on talus.
Usage
In ornamental gardening, alpine edelweiss is mainly used, which is famous not only for its high decorativeness, but also for its rather impressive unpretentiousness. Edelweiss is especially good for decorating sunny rockeries, however, this wonderful flower will look no worse in the foreground in flower beds. And gardeners are very fond of planting edelweiss in rock gardens.
When dried, edelweiss inflorescences perfectly retain their shape and color, and this feature makes them an excellent addition to spectacular winter bouquets.
Edelweiss goes well with herbal cloves, alpine aster, as well as ageratum, violets and roses.
Edelweiss is also widely used in folk medicine: it is an excellent assistant for whooping cough, rheumatism, hypertension, angina pectoris and cholelithiasis. In addition, the extract of this plant is often added to various cosmetic products designed to care for problem skin.
Growing and caring
Edelweiss should be planted only in sunny areas, on light and well-drained, moderately fertile and lime-rich soils. And when preparing the soil for the subsequent planting of this beautiful plant, it is recommended to add coarse sand or fine crushed stone to it.
Watering the handsome edelweiss is required only in very long dry periods. As a rule, it does not require shading from the sun, and it also withstands dry air perfectly. And it is usually propagated by dividing the bushes, which is produced with equal success both in spring and in autumn. In addition, with the onset of spring or early summer, this plant can also be propagated by stem cuttings. As for seed reproduction, it is also possible - it is usually carried out with the onset of February or March. Seeds are sown in pre-prepared boxes, then covered with polyethylene and placed in a warm place. And when the sprouts stretch up to two centimeters in height, they are transplanted into separate pots.
