Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: David Shaw on February 15, 2010, 10:24:05 AM

Title: Edelweiss
Post by: David Shaw on February 15, 2010, 10:24:05 AM

Following on from our trips to Austria last summer Carol and I are putting together a slide presentation. All is going well except for a correct caption for a slide of the small edelweiss. Looking through our books and on the web I have no less than three forms of its name, all equally well used and from reliable correspondents. The names I have found are: Leontopodium nivale; Leontopodium alpinum ssp. nivale and, surprisingly (to me) Leontopodium nivale ssp. alpinum. Is there a technically correct form of the name or will I just chicken out and go with the first!

Title: Re: Edelweiss
Post by: ranunculus on February 15, 2010, 10:38:12 AM

For what it is worth David, I simply use Leontopodium nivale when discussing the lovely little form with spoon-shaped leaves that we find in the Dolomites.

Title: Re: Edelweiss
Post by: hadacekf on February 15, 2010, 03:30:20 PM

David,
In Austria grow only Leontopodium alpinum. I know it is variable.

Title: Re: Edelweiss
Post by: Sinchets on February 15, 2010, 03:31:23 PM

Ingwerson's 'Manual of Alpine Plants' says that L.alpinum crassense and L.alpinum nivale are names given to two condensed forms from eastern Europe. Maybe it is just a catch-all name for any dwarfer forms wherever they are found.

Title: Re: Edelweiss
Post by: Carlo on February 15, 2010, 04:26:03 PM

The powers that be at RHS list it as Leontopodium alpinum ssp. nivale.