edelweiss

Edelweiss
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Asterids Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Tribe: Gnaphalieae[1] Genus: Leontopodium Species: L. alpinum
Binomial name
Leontopodium alpinum Cass., 1822

Established 1907 by the Austrian-Hungarian Army for their alpine troops, the sign was used in World War II by the Wehrmacht Gebirgsjäger—here as Edelweiss cap badge.

Illustration.

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Edelweiss (pronounced /ˈedəlvaɪs/; Leontopodium alpinum), is one of the best-known European mountain flowers, belonging 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" and is derived from the Greek words leon (lion) and podion (diminutive of pous, foot).

Leaves and flowers are covered with white hairs and appear woolly (tomentose). Flowering stalks of Edelweiss can grow to a size of 3–20 cm (in cultivation, up to 40 cm). Each 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.

The plant 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. The dense hair appears to be an adaption to high altitudes, protecting the plant from cold, aridity and UV radiation.^[2] Since it usually grows in inaccessible places, 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 Romanian name, floarea reginei (Queen's flower).

Edelweiss is a protected plant in many countries, including Mongolia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Switzerland, France, Norway, Italy, Malaysia (In Genting and Cameron Highlands), Indonesia (In Semeru Mountain), Germany, Spain (Ordesa National Park), Poland and Slovakia (Tatra National Park), Slovenia (in Gorizia and Gradisca since 1896, in Carniola since 1898), Austria (since 1886) and Romania (since 1933).

Leontopodium alpinum is grown in gardens for its interesting inflorescence and silver foliage,^[3] the plants are short lived and can be grown from seed.^[4]

Symbolic 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
• It is also the symbol of the Swiss national tourism organisation
• 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.
• The Edelweiss is used in the logotypes of several alpine clubs such as the German Alpine Club (Deutscher Alpenverein) or the Österreichischer Alpenverein (Austrian Alpine Club).
• In its bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics the city of Salzburg uses an Edelweiss flower as the emblem.[1]
• 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 Rodgers and Hammerstein's 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.
• In the 2008 PlayStation 3 game, Valkyria Chronicles, Welkin Gunther's tank is named the Edelweiss. The game also makes frequent references to the flower, referring to it as the lion's paw.
• An episode of the 1950s TV series Adventures of Superman titled "The Wedding of Superman" includes a segment in which Superman flies to Switzerland to bring a small bouquet of edelweiss to Lois Lane (see screenshot).
• In the television series," Band of Brothers," Lt. Nixon tells PFC Blithe that an Edelweiss flower can only be found above the tree line of the alps, and is the mark of a true soldier.
• Edelweiss is the name of a Japanese eroge. The flower, though never properly named, plays a prominent role in the story arc.

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.