Walkers Britain | Alpine Flowers: A Mountain Walker’s Guide (2024)

Walkers Britain | Alpine Flowers: A Mountain Walker’s Guide (1)

Above Refuge Bonatti, Tour Du Mont Blanc | Ray Wilkinson

Blog home / Alpine Flowers: A Mountain Walker’s Guide

The Alps are full of mountain flowers and especially in the summer months, you’ll very likely be rewarded with the sights of many colourful versions. When you’re walking in the Alps, whether in France, Italy, Austriaor Switzerland, bring a mobile device like a mobile phone or tablet with you, or print this article so you can look up a little information on the species that you’ll see along the way.

Yellow Gentian

Gentiana lutea

Walkers Britain | Alpine Flowers: A Mountain Walker’s Guide (2)

When does it flower? June-July

Where can I find the plant? There are many variants of gentians, we especially like the yellow gentian. The plant can grow as old as 70-100 years and the flowering part of the plant dies around July-August. This alpine flower is native to the mountains of central and southern Europe and grows in grassy alpine pastures. Other names by which the plant goes are 'bitter root', 'genciana', or 'bitterwort'.

Alpine Pasque Flower

Pulsatilla alpina

Walkers Britain | Alpine Flowers: A Mountain Walker’s Guide (3)

When does it flower? Very early in the season, May-June, sometimes springing up from under the snow

Where can I find the plant? The alpine pasque flower is native to the mountain ranges of central and southern Europe and you can find the flower in mountains all the way between Spain and up to Croatia. Besides the white one, there is a yellow variant of this mountain flower. Look at rocky areas or in dry stone wall gaps to find the flower.

Cotton Grass

Eriophorum

Walkers Britain | Alpine Flowers: A Mountain Walker’s Guide (4)

When does it flower? April-June

Where can I find the plant? The leaves of the plant look like grass and its flower looks very similar to a cotton wool ball, hence its name. When you come across peat or acidic soils, open wetland, or moorland on your walk in the Alps, there’s a good chance that you can find a patch of cotton grass.

Edelweiss

Leontopodium alpinum

Walkers Britain | Alpine Flowers: A Mountain Walker’s Guide (5)

When does it flower? July – September

Where can I find the plant? Edelweiss is quite a special mountain flower widely used as a symbol for alpinism. Edelweiss normally grows between 1800-3000 metres altitude and in rocky limestone places. The alpine flower is a protected plant in France, Switzerland and Italy among others.

Tour de Mont Blanc or Alpine Pass Route? Which alpine walk is for you?Find the answer here>>

Harebells

Campanula rotundifolia

Walkers Britain | Alpine Flowers: A Mountain Walker’s Guide (6)

When does it flower? July – September

Where can I find the plant? We believe that the harebell is perhaps one of the most attractive of all wildflowers. Look out for the mountain plant on dry grasslands, in the valleys or on heaths.

Heartsease

Viola tricolor

Walkers Britain | Alpine Flowers: A Mountain Walker’s Guide (7)

When does it flower? April – September

Where can I find the plant? The wild kind of heartsease is quite rare and blooms yellow and white, it appears in a white or purple form and you may know it from your garden at home in the name of wild pansy or love-lies-bleeding. But did you know that it also is a powerful medicinal herb? It can benefit for example people with skin problems, respiratory problems or chest infections.

Martagon Lily

Lilium martagon

Walkers Britain | Alpine Flowers: A Mountain Walker’s Guide (8)

When does it flower? It only flowers a short period between late June and mid-July

Where can I find the plant? This plant is a Eurasian variety of the lily and it grows as far east as Mongolia. It’s also known as Turk’s cap lily, Lily of Istanbul, Sultan Lily or Dragon Lily. You can only see the Martagon Lily from late June to mid-July and plants can grow as high as 2 metres.

Pincushion Saxifrage

Saxifraga eschscholtzii

Walkers Britain | Alpine Flowers: A Mountain Walker’s Guide (9)

When does it flower? April - June

Where can I find the plant? Saxifrage is a very common alpine wildflower that appears in as many as 400+ shapes and forms. The plant is also known as saxifrages or rockfoils. Often you can find them on old grassland, especially on chalk or limestone soil.

Cobweb Houseleek

Sempervivum arachnoideum

Walkers Britain | Alpine Flowers: A Mountain Walker’s Guide (10)

When does it flower? July

Where can I find the plant? You can find the cobweb houseleek (or cobweb sedum) between rocks that are quite moist. They form mats that cover up the rocks and are happy in full sunlight. Especially in the summer months, when it flowers, the colour of this wildflower is pinkish and reddish.

Rosebay Willowherb

Chamaenerion angustifolium

Walkers Britain | Alpine Flowers: A Mountain Walker’s Guide (11)

When does it flower? July – September

Where can I find the plant? Usually the Rosebay Willowherb grows in rocky places or woodland clearings. It is common to find the plant in places where the ground was burned.

Vanilla Orchid

Nigritella nigra bzw. rubra

Walkers Britain | Alpine Flowers: A Mountain Walker’s Guide (12)

When does it flower? July

Where can I find the plant? It is quite likely to find the almost black or purple vanilla orchid in grassy, limestone meadows above the forest limit. The more grassy variant that we saw on one of our walks on the Haute Route is quite a rare variety. What’s special about it? Smell this wildflower and you understand where it got its name!

Alpine Crocus

Colchicum alpinum

Walkers Britain | Alpine Flowers: A Mountain Walker’s Guide (13)

When does it flower? Around August until October

Where can I find the plant? A native flower to the Alps, you can find the crocus on mountain grassland in France, Switzerland as well as Italy. Besides the obviously pink version in the picture above, you can find paler rosy/pink versions of the flower.


See mountain flowers on one of our alpine walking holidays inFrance, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria.

Walkers Britain | Alpine Flowers: A Mountain Walker’s Guide (2024)

FAQs

What do alpine flowers mean? ›

'Alpine' is a term that encompasses a wide range of small, hardy plants that are suitable to be grown in containers and rock gardens, but also plants that grow above the tree line high up in the mountains.

What is the mountain flower in Austria? ›

Edelweiss. Edelweiß is one of the most famous flowers native to the Alps and a firm favourite. It is generally found between 1,500 and 3,000 metres, but you will be lucky to see one. It prefers rocky terrain and is strictly protected under law.

What are the flowers of the Swiss Alps? ›

Species such as Alpenrose (Rhododendron ferrugineum), Globeflower (Trollius europaeus), Broad-leaved Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza majalis), Small White Orchid (Pseudorchis albida), Moss Campion (Silene acaulis), Mountain Avens (Dryas octopetala) and Alpine Bartsia (Bartsia alpina) are common, and several species of ...

What are the purple flowers in the Alps? ›

Violet-coloured alpine flowers include the pretty aster, which I saw on my first nature walk in Zermatt. You might also see violet-coloured primroses (Sticky Primrose, Alpine Snowbell).

How many mountain flowers are in Skyrim? ›

Yellow Mountain Flower is harvested from the rare yellow-flowered variety of mountain flower. Other varieties of mountain flower yield blue mountain flowers, purple mountain flowers, and red mountain flowers, but the four flowers have different alchemical properties.

Why is edelweiss so special? ›

The edelweiss bloom carries a meaning of devotion. The symbolism of devotion derives from the fact that the edelweiss flower grows in some of the toughest alpine conditions in the world. In spite of alpine extremes in the remotest places in the Swiss, German and Austrian Alps, this delicate yet hardy flower thrives.

Why is the Alpine Forget-Me-Not Alaska's state flower? ›

A clause in the constitution declared, "The official flower of the Pioneers of Alaska shall be the Alaska For-get-me-not."As the population of Alaska continued to grow, women became involved with organizations such as the Grand Igloo by forming Auxiliaries. They too adopted the forget-me-not as their official emblem.

What is the famous mountain flower? ›

With the rise of mountain tourism at the end of the 19th century, the edelweiss became the badge and symbol of alpinists and mountaineers. In order to prevent the extinction of the often picked symbolic species, it was placed under nature protection early on.

What is the French mountain flower? ›

Edelweiss is quite a special mountain flower widely used as a symbol for alpinism. Edelweiss normally grows between 1800-3000 metres altitude and in rocky limestone places. The alpine flower is a protected plant in France, Switzerland and Italy among others.

What is England's national flower? ›

Why is edelweiss so rare? ›

Why is edelweiss so rare? In the wild, edelweiss has become rare because the plant naturally grows at altitudes of 6,000 and 11,000 feet, often in remote, inaccessible areas of the Alps on rocky limestone soil. It is considered an endangered species.

What is the national flower of Germany? ›

Germany's national flower is the cornflower. In the 1800s, Wilhelm I, emperor of Prussia, proclaimed the flower as his favorite and made it a symbol of the nation. Its color, also known as Prussian blue, came to be the dominant color for the uniforms worn by the Prussian Army.

What is the national flower of Canada? ›

Canada, a land of natural wonders, doesn't officially have a national flower. However, the Maple Leaf is an iconic symbol that represents the nation and its people. The Maple Tree, famous for its distinctive leaves and sweet syrup sap, has been associated with Canada since the 19th century.

What is the purple flower that looks like a brain? ›

Celosia argentea var. cristata (Crested Celosia or co*ckscomb): This variety is characterized by its unique, coral-like, or brain-like flower heads. The tightly clustered blooms are brightly colored in shades of red, yellow, orange, pink, and even purple. The flowers can be quite large and visually striking.

What is the most beautiful flower in Switzerland? ›

The alpine rose, along with the edelweiss and gentian, is one of the most famous and beautiful flowers of the Alps. Two wild species bloom in the Swiss Alps. In the Praettigau, one mainly encounters the rusty-leaved alpine rose (Rhododéndron ferrugineum) from the heather family "Ericaceae".

What flower is the king-of-the-Alps? ›

Eritrichium nanum, the arctic alpine forget-me-not or king-of-the-Alps, is a circumpolar alpine cushion plant which occurs in the North American Rocky mountains as well as the European Alps. It grows at elevations of 10,000 feet in an environment of acid rocks, snow gullies and receding glaciers.

What is the rarest plant in Skyrim? ›

The rarest Alchemy ingredient in Skyrim is the Jarrin Root. In vanilla Skyrim, you get just one under normal circ*mstances, two if you exploit an oversight on Bethesda's part.

What does the purple mountain flower do in Skyrim? ›

Purple Mountain Flower
Weight0.1
Value2
EffectsRestore Stamina Fortify Sneak Lingering Damage Magicka Resist Frost
Nov 10, 2011

How many trees should I focus on in Skyrim? ›

For the beginning, you should focus on three, maybe four. Mages should have for sure have destruction as a damage option, the healing tree for support, maybe alchemy and something like enchanting.

What does the alpine rose symbolize? ›

The Alpine Rose is not just a flower; it's a cultural icon. In Swiss tradition, it forms a patriotic trio with Edelweiss and Blue Gentian, symbolizing the heart and hope of the nation. It's a splash of red in life's significant events, from weddings to funerals, embodying a sense of national pride.

What does the alpine betony flower symbolize? ›

Betony is a flower that dates back in symbolic use to before Ancient Rome. It remains today one of the many herbs that represent healing and wellness in general. Other meanings for this common flower include protection from ghosts and spirits.

What does the alpine buttercup symbolize? ›

It flourishes in areas where there is moist ground, mostly from the snow-bed sites with icy meltwater - so high up in the alps for about 1,800 meters above sea level. The glacial buttercup is a symbol of joy, charm and childishness.

What does the alpine aster flower mean? ›

The Alpine Aster helps to incrementally anchor this awareness of the soul and its ability to cultivate an independent spiritual life. The use of this flower essence balances and nourishes the soul in our materialistic, physically predominant culture.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Nathanial Hackett

Last Updated:

Views: 6602

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (52 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Nathanial Hackett

Birthday: 1997-10-09

Address: Apt. 935 264 Abshire Canyon, South Nerissachester, NM 01800

Phone: +9752624861224

Job: Forward Technology Assistant

Hobby: Listening to music, Shopping, Vacation, Baton twirling, Flower arranging, Blacksmithing, Do it yourself

Introduction: My name is Nathanial Hackett, I am a lovely, curious, smiling, lively, thoughtful, courageous, lively person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.