Edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −34.4 °C
Cultivation
Requires a position in full sun in any gritty perfectly drained not too fertile circumneutral or slightly alkaline soil. 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.
Propagation
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.
Medicinal uses
The whole plant is astringent and antitussive.
Habitat
Alpine meadows and screes.
Native range
SE and SC Europe.
Scientific synonyms Leontopodium nivale