Leontopodium-alpinum_66

Description:

Leontopodium alpinum Cass.Lyon's Foot, Edelweiss, DE.: EdelweiSlo.: planika, onicaDat.: Aug. 1. 2015Lat.: 46.44189 Long.: 13.63652Code: Bot_906/2015_DSC8267Habitat: steep grassland, southeast aspect; skeletal, calcareous ground; open place, full sun, exposed to direct rain and wind; average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature about 0 deg C, elevation 2.045 m (6.700 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. Substratum: soil.Place: Mt. Mangart region, grass covered southeast slopes of the ridge between ez jezik pass, 2.055 m and Sedelce pass, 2.031 m, East Julian Alps, Posoje, Slovenia EC.Comment: Leontopodium alpinum, commonly known as Edelweiss, is certainly the most popular mountain flower ever. Its scientific name is not old. It was botanically established no earlier than in 19. century. Before that botanists had changed its genus name several times, from Gnaphalium to Antenaria, then to Filago. Finally Cassini gave it its presently valid botanical name Leontopodium alpinum. This is so because of its very special structure of inflorescence. Also its common name 'Edelweiss' is not old. It origins from 18. century and was used in Austria first. Only a century later flowers of this plant became a fashion and its German name international. Thousands of products and services have been name by it, from mountain clubs, cottages, tourist facilities, cheese, drinks, trains, companies, poems, - the list is endless. The flower became an irresistible memento from every mountain trip. The disaster started when business entered the scene. Hundreds of thousands of plants have been purchased from locals, dried and massively sold as souvenirs. 'To have' triumphed over 'To admire and respect'. Of cause, this craze drastically reflected in plant populations. It almost disappeared from many mountain regions. The first attempts of its protection measures were established already in l880. On territory of Slovenia protection started in 1896. Today it is protected in all Alpine states. Fortunately, the fashion faded and also awareness and responsibility of modern mountaineers have improved. The plant doesn't really seem to be endangered any more, at least in Slovenia (apart of eventually broader environmental changes like air pollution and global warming). Fortunately it grows mainly on ground of no or little human interest. The white 'flowers' of Edelweiss can have up to 5 cm in diameter, but it can be also much smaller on nutrition poor and extremely exposed places. However, what looks like white and wooly 'petals' are in fact bracts (their beautiful white color comes from dense, air filled hairs). Also several small round heads, which are surrounded by these 'petals' are not flowers but true heads (Asteraceae!) each carrying many small tubular flowers. Some of them are male and some are female. Leontopodium alpinum flowers are rarely greater than 3 mm!Protected according to: Uredba o zavarovanih prostoiveih rastlinskih vrstah, poglavje A, Uradni list RS, t. 46/2004 (Regulation of protected wild plants, chapter A, Official Gazette of Republic Slovenia, no. 46/2004), (2004). Pravilnik o uvrstitvi ogroenih rastlinskih in ivalskih vrst v rdei seznam, Uradni list RS, t. 82/2002 (Regulation of enlisting of endangered plant and animal species onto Red List, Official Gazette of Republic Slovenia, no. 82/2002) (2002). Enlisted in the Slovene Red List of rare and endangered species, marked by "O1" representing a potentially endangered species.Ref.:(1) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora fr sterreich, Liechtenstein und Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 884.(2) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key), Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007) (in Slovenian), p 650. (3) T. Wraber, 2 x Sto alpskih rastlin na Slovenskem (2x 100 Alpine Plants of Slovenia), Preernova druba (2006) (in Slovenian), p 176.(4) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 2., Haupt (2004), p 452.(5) P. Kohlhaupt, Alpenblumen Farbige Wunder, Belser Bucher, Vol. 1,2. (1964), p 219.(6) P. Skoberne, Zavarovane rastline Slovenije (Protected plants of Slovenia) (in Slovenian), Mladinska Knjiga (2007), p 37.