Of the many flowers in Germanic folk medicine and herbology, none capture the romantic imagination more than the modest edelweiss (Leontopodium nivale). A small white alpine flower, it grows in limestone mountains and originates in the Himalayas.
Edelweiss (Eng. pron. "ay-del-vice") comes to Europe during the Quaternary ice ages. Edel translates to noble and weiss means white. In the Latin (Leontopodium nivale), Leontopodium is lion's paw; nivale means snow or snowy.
A member of the daisy or sunflower family Asteraceae, edelweiss has been used in folk medicine and mountain lore for centuries. In the 19th century it comes to be the symbol of mountaineers and alpinists.
Edelweiss is an enduring sign of true love. As it usually grows at high altitudes on slippery slopes, it's difficult and dangerous to reach and pick. If a man brings his sweetheart an edelweiss he himself has picked, it's considered an act of undying love and devotion.
Unfortunately for the edelweiss, it becomes hugely popular in the middle of the 19th century and almost goes extinct. Mountain tourism, romance movements and European natural health trends threaten the plant. It's under state protection today.
Romantic associations blossom in 1856, due to a gesture by Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I. On a mountain hike with his wife Elisabeth (Sisi), he picks an edelweiss from the steep slope, saying "The first in my life I picked myself".
The couple share great love for the flower and and each other. The famous story of Franz and Sisi heightens the relationship of Edelweiss to romance. Sadly, Empress Sisi is assassinated in 1898. She reigns for 44 years, the longest of any Austrian empress.
In 1865 German painter Franz Xaver Winterhalter immortalizes the Empress with nine jeweled faux edelweiss flowers in her hair, in the oil painting above. The painting is displayed at the Schloss Hofburg, Vienna Austria.
Near the end of the Second World War, Edelweiss becomes the symbol of German resistance against Nazism. The song "Edelweiss" from the 1965 "The Sound of Music", set in Salzburg, Austria, is featured during the escape of the von Trapp family from the Nazis.
It's also known as the bellyache flower due to its medicinal properties. In floral bouquets, edelweiss is called the everlasting or eternal blossom. When dried it looks similar to the fresh flower and will last a long time.
European edelweiss grows in the Swiss, German and Austrian Alps, Pyrenees Mountains, and Italian Apennines. It's found at about 1,800 - 3,400 m (5,900 - 11,200 ft) altitude and prefers limestone rocks.
Made of compressed organic matter, limestone can be a vital source of nutrients for plants in barren habitats. Flowering stalks of edelweiss reach a height of 3 - 20 cm (1 - 8 in) in the wild or up to 40 cm (16 in) cultivated.
Blossoms are five to six small yellow spikelet-florets surrounded by fuzzy white bracts (petals) in double-star formation. Small hairs on the plant give it the Germanic nickname Wullbluomen or wool flower, documented in the 16th century.
The fine hairs protect the plant from the cold, aridity and ultraviolet radiation of its lofty mountain environment. Originally edelweiss comes from the Himalayan Mountains.
Edelweiss day is March 5 in the Germanic alpine countries. All parts of the plant are used in folk medicine. Active ingredients include terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, polyacetylenes, fatty acids and leoligin, for anti-fungal, antioxidant, anti-bacterial and other health properties.
Edelweiss grows well in herb or flower gardens. Leaves of Edelweiss are used in alpine medicine against heart disease. The Himalayan edelweiss, Leontopodium himalayanum, grows in mountainous regions of China, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.
It's called Tra-Wa in the Tibetan Dzongkha language. Himalayan edelweiss blooms June - October.
In Latin the European edelweiss is also called Gnaphalium Leontopodium. Dilution of Leontopodium as a homoeopathic or folk medicine is considered to treat, prevent or relieve various conditions.
Extracts of edelweiss and edelweiss tea are used in traditional medicine as herbal remedies for a long list of ailments including:
abdominal illness
heart disease
diarrhea
abdominal cramps
respiratory conditions
inflammation
skin ailments
memory loss
stomach pains
constipation
grinding of teeth
locked jaw
back pain
In Europe edelweiss is a short-lived flower, blooming between July and September. In the 19th century this is the time amorous swains and nature enthusiasts mingle on the mountains.
In Slovenia Edelweiss is known as planika or mountain girl. In Romania, it's floare de colț or cliffhanger's flower. In Italian and French speaking countries, edelweiss is named Stella Alpina and étoile des Alpes, or 'star of the Alps.'
In his novel Edelweiss (1861), German author Berthold Auerbach says the difficulty of procuring an edelweiss is such that
"the possession of one is a proof of unusual daring."
The English translation (1869) includes a preface quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson:
"There is a flower known to botanists, one of the same genus with our summer plant called "Life-Everlasting", a Gnaphalium like that, which grows on the most inaccessible cliffs of the Tyrolese mountains, where the chamois dare hardly venture, and which the hunter, tempted by its beauty, and by his love (for it is immensely valued by the Swiss maidens), climbs the cliffs to gather, and is sometimes found dead at the foot, with the flower in his hand. It is called by botanists the Gnaphalium leontopodium, but by the Swiss Edelweisse, which signifies Noble Purity."
In the mountainous Savoie region of France, picking edelweiss and genepi from the mountainsides carries a fine of 750 Euro (about $800 USD). German, Austrian and Swiss officials are not as nice, imposing fines of up to 15,000 euros on edelweiss robbers.
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