Alpine Flowers. Gillian Price

      Caucasian Stonecrop

      Sedum spurium – Orpin bâtard – Kaukasus-Fetthenne – Sedo del Caucaso

      This plant originally hailed from the Caucasus region but is now naturalised across the Alps, with the exception of the southwest. Its fleshy rounded leaves form open rosettes and attractive white-red or pink star-shaped flowers tightly grouped together. It grows in dense carpets on stony wastes up to 1800m altitude, and flowers June–August. The genus name derives from the Latin for ‘settle’ as the leaves of some species are believed to bring relief for wounds. As Stonecrops are commonly found on walls and roofs, they were popularly believed to protect houses from lightning strikes and fires. See also Yellow: Biting and Creamish Stonecrop; White: Thick-leaved Stonecrop.

      Cobweb House-leek

      Sempervivum arachnoideum – Joubarbe aranéeuse – Filzige Spinnweb-Hauswurz – Semprevivo ragnateloso

      Minuscule leaf rosettes coated in a cobweb of down typify this succulent. A lover of rocky crannies and dry but sun-blessed terrain, it grows at 1700–3000m altitude. By far the brightest of its kind, its brilliant red star flowers may be streaked with purplish pink, on reddish-brown stalks. As with the other house-leeks, in addition to resembling a triffid, it holds true to the sempervivum (ever alive) designation and does not die back during winter. It flowers July–September. See also Common and Mountain House-leek; Yellow: Wulfen’s House-leek.

      Common Bistort

      Polygonum bistorta – Renouée bistorte – Schlangen-Knöterich – Poligono bistorta

      Meadows smothered with pink-tipped spikes are a common foreground to the Alps. These spikes bear a tight cluster of tiny flowers that sway in the breeze, and long oval leaves grow alongside. The strange name refers to its ‘many-kneed’ jointed root. It flowers at length May–September up to 2500m altitude. See also White: Alpine Bistort.

      Common House-leek

      Sempervivum tectorum – Joubarbe des toits – Dach-Hauswurz – Semprevivo dei tetti

      Dull pink flowers with a yellow centre and a perfectly circular display of delicate stamens distinguish this evergreen House-leek. A large tall plant, it has an especially stocky stalk tinged reddish-brown and smallish blue-green-red basal rosettes. It is distributed in large patches across most of the Alps, except for the northeast. It flowers June–September on grassy and rocky terrain up to 2800m altitude. See also Cobweb and Mountain House-leek; Yellow: Wulfen’s House-leek.

      Common Lungwort

      Pulmonaria officinalis – Pulmonaire officinale – Echtes Lungenkraut – Polmonaria officinale

      The crepe-like flowers begin life pink but gradually assume a bluish-purple hue, so the plant often sports dual colours. It has long been used in the treatment of coughs and lung ailments. The leaves are hairy with large light blotches and shaped like elongated hearts. It flowers in damp woods March–May up to 1900m altitude, and is widespread except for the eastern Alps.

      Cowberry

      Vaccinium vitis-idaea – Airelle rouge – Preiselbeere – Mirtillo rosso

      Delicate white, open bell-shaped blooms of the cowberry are followed by the edible though acidic-tasting red berry fruit which appears at the end of summer. A miniature evergreen shrub, it has an extensive system of underground roots, and flowers May–August up to 3000m altitude on open heath, woods and pastures, often in the company of the tastier Blueberry.

      Creeping Azalea, Alpine Azalea

      Loiseleuria procumbens – Azalée des Alpes – Alpenazalee – Azalea delle Alpi

      Clusters of minuscule light pink flowers shaped like bells grow amongst dark green oblong leaves with rolled edges. A woody shrub, it forms extensive mats that hug the ground, hence the tag which means ‘prostrate’. While not terribly common, it is found across the Alps up to 3000m altitude on dry rocky terrain often in windswept spots, and flowers June–July. The plant’s reduced dimensions and ground hugging profile make it easy to distinguish from similar Dwarf Alpenrose.

      Cyclamen, Sowbread

      Cyclamen purpurascens – Cyclamen pourpre – Europäisches Alpenveilchen – Ciclamino delle Alpi

      A beautiful plant with deep purple-carmine nodding flowers. Its heart-shaped leaves are dark green and glossy with light vein tracings. The common English name derives from the Medieval Latin, a reminder that it was swine feed, whereas the Cyclamen family name comes from the Greek for ‘circle’, plausibly due to the round tuber. It flourishes in well-shaded damp woods, especially beech, and flowers July–September as high as 1800m altitude. It is found everywhere but the far southern Alps.

      Dwarf Alpenrose, Ground Cistus

      Rhodothamnus chamaecistus – Rhodothamne ciste nain – Zwergalpenrose – Rododendro cistino

      This is exactly what the name says – a dwarf version of the attractive and widespread Alpenrose. The low-lying woody shrub has hairy branches and very small tough leaves that are bright green. The flower has five separate pale pink petals but its distinguishing feature are the showy long white filaments that end in dark brown anthers surrounding a pink stigma. It flowers May–July across the eastern Alps on dry open slopes and rock surfaces up to 2400m altitude. An even smaller similar plant is prostrate Creeping Azalea.

      Dwarf Soapwort, Pygmy Soapwort

      Saponaria pumila – Niedriges Seifenkraut – Saponaire naine – Saponaria minore

      The pretty deep rose pink flowers with five separate notched petals are more or less stemless. They sprout from a cushion crowded with small fleshy oblong leaves. The low plant spreads across meadows and rocky terrain. A rare find, it grows in the central-eastern Alps up to 2600m altitude. It flowers July–September. The tag means ‘dwarf’. See also Rock Soapwort, which has rather smaller flowers.

      Dwarf Valerian

      Valeriana supina – Valériane naine – Zwerg-Baldrian

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