edelweiss, perennial aster plant (genus Leontopodium) found at high altitudes in the mountains of Europe, Asia, and South America. It is about 6 in. (15.2 cm) tall with woolly-white floral leaves and small heads of yellow disk flowers surrounded by silvery bracts. Despite its inconspicuous appearance it is esteemed (chiefly by the Swiss) as a symbol of purity and inaccessibility. In Switzerland it is protected by law. Probably because of its associations it has some popularity as a rock garden and pot plant. Edelweiss is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Asterales, family Asteraceae.

Perennial plant (Leontopodium alpinum) of the composite family, native to alpine areas of Europe and South America. It has 2–10 yellow flower heads in a dense cluster. Below these flower heads, 6–9 lance-shaped, woolly, white leaves are arranged in the form of a star. Most varieties are ornamentals.

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