Alpine Flowers. Gillian Price
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About the Author
Gillian Price was born in England but moved to Australia when young. After taking a degree in anthropology and working in adult education, she set off to travel through Asia and trek the Himalayas. The culmination of her journey was Venice where, her enthusiasm fired for mountains, the next logical step was towards the Dolomites, only hours away. Starting there, Gillian is steadily exploring the mountain ranges and flatter bits of Italy and bringing them to life for visitors in a series of outstanding guides for Cicerone.
When not out walking with Nicola, her Venetian cartographer husband, Gillian works as a freelance travel writer www.gillianprice.eu. A committed promoter of public transport to minimise impact in alpine areas, she is an active member of the Italian Alpine Club CAI and Mountain Wilderness.
Other Cicerone guides by the author
Across the Eastern Alps – the E5
Gran Paradiso: Alta Via 2 Trek and Day Walks
Italy’s Sibillini National Park
Shorter Walks in the Dolomites
Through the Italian Alps – the GTA
Trekking in the Alps (contributor)
Trekking in the Apennines – the GEA
Trekking in the Dolomites
Walking on the Amalfi Coast
Walking in the Central Italian Alps
Walking on Corsica
Walking in the Dolomites
Walks and Treks in the Maritime Alps
Walking in Sicily
Walking in Tuscany
Walking the Italian Lakes
Walking in Italy’s Stelvio National Park
ALPINE FLOWERS
by
Gillian Price
JUNIPER HOUSE, MURLEY MOSS,
OXENHOLME ROAD, KENDAL, CUMBRIA LA9 7RL
First edition 2014 Reprinted 2019 (with updates)
ISBN-13: 9781783620326
Printed in China on responsibly sourced paper on behalf of Latitude Press Ltd
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
All photographs are by the author unless otherwise stated.
Those who dislike mountains and are bored with plants need have no dealings with this volume.
Reginald Farrer The Dolomites (1913)
Dedication
For Betty, my dear mum and flower aficionado
Acknowledgements
Grazie mille to Nick for his patience and Jonathan for agreeing to publish. Thanks also to Anna Mazza for her flower books and common sense, Professor Giovanni Caniglia for his expert tips, Dorothy Grace for her meticulous editing and Clare Crooke for the lovely layout.
In terms of reference sources, I am indebted to Alpine Flowers of Britain and Europe (Collins 1995, Christopher Grey-Wilson and Marjorie Blamey), and the mammoth three-volume Flora Alpina encyclopaedia (Zanichelli 2004) compiled by a Swiss team (D Aeschimann, K Lauber, DM Moser, JP Theurillat), as well as Massimo Spampani and Bruno Berti for their inspiring articles in the Alpi Venete magazine. Last but not least, the websites www.actaplantarum.org and www.fiorialpini.net. Any mistakes are undeniably mine.
Front cover: (L to R) Top row: Alpine Aster, Coltsfoot, Cowberry, Dusky Cranesbill; second row: Carnic Lily, Alpine Snowbell, King of the Alps, Lady’s Slipper Orchid; third row: Alpine Buttercup, Spring Gentian, Alpine Toadflax, Yellow Mountain Saxifrage; bottom row: Meadow Saffron, Orange Lily, Bear’s ear, Bee Orchid
CONTENTS
Introduction
Survival Techniques
Reproduction
Migration and Climate Change
Naming
Identification
Distribution
Flowers
Red
Yellow
Blue
Purple
White
Appendix
Botanical Gardens Across the Alps
GLOSSARY
| anther | found at the tip of a filament, this is the pollen-bearing part of a stamen |
| basal | means the leaves sprout from the base of the plant, not from the stalk |
| bulbil | aerial bulbs born on the above-ground part of the plant |
| calyx | made up of sepals, this protective husk casing encloses a bud and opens up with the flower |
| endemic | not necessarily rare, but found only in a limited geographical area |
| filament | stalk-like part of the stamen which supports the anther |
| labiate | describes a flower divided into two parts that look like lips |
| palmate | leaves shaped like the outstretched palm of a hand, with separate lobes |
| pinnate | compound leaves structured like a feather with multiple leaflets arranged on either side of the stalk |
| sepal | like leaves and usually green, these make up the calyx |
| stamen | this is made up of a filament and anther and is the male part of the flower, producer of pollen |
| stigma | prominent tip of a style, the tube for transporting pollen to the ovaries – the female part of the flower |
INTRODUCTION
Alpine Moon-daisy thrives in high rocky spots
Wild campanulas and purple gentians, deep gold Arnica blossoms, pink Daphne, and a whole world of other flowers, some quite new to us, here bloom in such abundance that the space of green sward on either side of the carriage-way looks as if bordered by a strip of Persian carpet.
Amelia Edwards Untrodden Peaks and Unfrequented Valleys: A midsummer ramble in the Dolomites (1873)
It happens to all visitors to the European Alps – walkers, climbers and tourists alike. Engaged in a stiff climb, or a leisurely stroll along a mountain lane, and out of the corner of your eye you spot a curious flowering plant. It may even be vaguely reminiscent of something in the garden at home. And you store the image away: ‘Must look that up when I get back’. The idea of this pocket guide is to act as a lightweight companion in the field, with colour-coded pages to make it easy to consult. With no pretence to be encyclopaedic, the guide focuses on the main flowers likely to be encountered and gives readers helpful pointers for distinguishing flowers that appear identical at first glance.
Colourful clumps