As a plant that symbolizes high mountains, the edelweiss has many admirers. We appreciate its tender beauty and the myths that surround it. The alpine edelweiss is the sole representative of the 40 known species of edelweiss[1] found in the mountains of Asia and Central Europe.
Edelweiss grows as a compact, evergreen perennial herb that lies relatively flat on the ground. It is about 8 inches tall and wide and bears flowers up to 3.2 inches long on upright stems.
Edelweiss features simple, lanceolate foliage that grows from a simple rosette of leaves.
Like the flower, the foliage is also provided with short white hairs that give them a felted appearance. The delicate, vivid white flowers of this plant are legendary.
The discrete tubular flowers inside are enveloped by a hairy star made of pointed, irregularly long white bracts in varying numbers.
What is unique about the edelweiss flower is its silver sheen. This is due to the reflection of thousands of small air bubbles in the woolly hair of the bracts.
