Alpine Flowers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Edelweiss

The song that was written for the 1959 Rogers and Hammerstein musical (and used in the 1965 movie) was not, as is often believed, a traditional Austrian song. Nor is it the national anthem of Austria - that is 'Land der Berge, Land am Strome'. However, its widespread popularity has linked it indelibly in the popular imagination with the Alpine region where it grows.

The scientific name of the plant's genus comes from a Greek word meaning lion's paw, and older German names include 'Chatzen-talpen' (Cat's paws) and Wullbluomen (Wool flower); the modern English name comes from the German 'Edelweiß', a compound noun meaning noble white. In the parts of the Alps where Italian is spoken, it is called 'Stella Alpina', while Francophones call it 'Étoile des Alpes'. Both these names mean Star of the Alps. If you want to grow it in your garden, you can grow it from seeds, but be prepared for its quite short life span, and take the time to enjoy it while it is in blossom.

Answer: Wild strawberry

Also called mountain strawberries and Alpine strawberries, among other names, these plants produce abundant fruit. Although they are much (MUCH) smaller than commercial varieties, they are far sweeter and have a more intense strawberry flavor. Like all strawberries, they are members of the rose family.

Some cultivars can be grown from seeds (but you need to handle the tiny things very carefully, or you may accidentally wash them away), while others grow better from runners.

Answer: Rhododendron

Rhododendron ferrugineum is an evergreen shrub that gets its specific name from the rust-colored spots that form on the underside of its leaves. It is also called the snow-rose, as (in the wild) it grows in acid soils above the tree line. Bushes can grow up to a metre (three feet) tall, and produce flowers in a range of shades of pink.

It is closely related to the hairy alpenrose (R. hirsutum), which grows in alkaline soils with a similar climate. When the two different types of soil are found near each other, it is common to find hybrids growing between the separate fields of the two species.

Answer: Alpine thistle

Like all thistles (which come from several different genera, most but not all in the family Asteraceae) this is a prickly plant, best handled while wearing gloves. It is a perennial, and makes a nice addition to your border, The color of the flower in the image is on the light side of the range to be expected - a more vibrant pink-purple color is more common.

It is also called the notched thistle, a reference to the jagged shape of its leaves.

Answer: Globeflower

These herbaceous perennials usually produce bright yellow flowers, although some other colors can also be found. Their petals (or, more precisely, their brightly colored sepals) curve up over the top of the flower, creating a spherical, or globe, shape.

They like a heavy, wet soil, and cool conditions for best growth. T. europaeus can grow up to around 60 cm (two feet) in height, with flowers having a diameter around 3 cm (a bit over an inch).

Answer: Its bitter root is often used in producing drinks

Perhaps if I had given another of its other common names, bitter root, the answer would have been obvious. Before the use of hops in brewing beer, yellow gentian was commonly used. It has long been used as a tonic, and part of a range of medicines. Yellow gentian extract is one of the ingredients of the American soft drink Moxie, and it is used in France to make a liqueur which is popular in the Limousin region.

Answer: Cottongrass

These perennial plants belong to the sedge family (which means they are not grasses, although their long slender leaves are grass-like in appearance), and are also sometimes called cottonsedge. They prefer acidic soils, and a boggy habitat, so place them in that wet corner of your garden that never quite dries out.

They also like it really cold - as well as being found in alpine regions, they are widespread in the Arctic tundra. The fluffy covering to the seed head provides a sort of insulating layer that protects the actual seeds from extreme cold snaps.

The material of which they are formed has been used to stuff pillows, as well as being spun and woven into wicks for candles.

Answer: In a sunny, well-drained spot

Centaurea montana, also called the bachelor's button, like lots of sunlight. If it must be in a somewhat shaded area, it is better to be shaded by deciduous plants, as this evergreen plant can then take advantage of the increased light available when the deciduous cover disappears.

They can grow successfully in almost any kind of soil - sandy, loamy, heavy clay are all fine, as is almost any pH. They do not, however, handle being waterlogged, so good drainage is essential.

Answer: Alpine poppy

The picture was of the subspecies P. alpinum subsp. rhaeticum, which has yellow to orange flowers. Other subspecies of this perennial plant come in white and red. Due to their smallness, they are also called dwarf poppies, and their strong taproot means they grow well on rocky ground. If you squeeze the stem, it exudes a milky white liquid.

The poppy traditionally worn on Remembrance Day (also known as Armistice Day and Veterans Day) is now an artificial red flower modeled on the common or field poppy. Red poppies were worn for the first time in 1921, at a service commemorating the ending of the First World War. They were one of the first flowers that grew again in the bloody battlefields, as commemorated in John McCrae's poem 'In Flanders Fields'.

Answer: Stone breaker

It is thought that this name refers to the medicinal use of the plant to break up kidney stones, not a description of what its roots do to the rocks around which they typically grow. They grow close to the ground, and make an excellent groundcover plant. You might want to plant them so they can grow over some large-ish rocks, to create lovely mounds of flowers. And definitely make sure the soil is alkaline or neutral - they do not do well in acidic soils.