Beautiful Alpine Plants and Flowers

When travelling throung the Alps, while rambling through valleys and slopes, on top of small mountains, or even during climbing tours, it is possible to see quite a number of plants and flowers, that are mostly uncommon to Central Europe and outside mountainous regions. Open eyes and a bit of interest in country and flora and fauna will provide us with new impressions.

spiniest thistle cirsium spinosissimum
Alpen-Kratzdistel – Spiniest Thistle (Alpen Kratzdistel) – Cirsium spinosissimum

Thistles in the Alpines

Since my first visit to Scotland I am a great fan of the thistle. The thistle grows on barren soils, on stony slopes and seems to be a frugal plant in general. When rambling through Austrian valleys one can see plenty of different thistle species, making the thistle an interesting sort of plant. Yes, thistles do prick and scratch but are beautiful plants. See for yourself:

Bergdistel – Alpine Thistle (Carduus defloratus)
Alpine Kratzdistel – Spiniest Thistle

The Spiniest Thistle (Cirsium spinosissimum) grows on dry and rocky areas. In Austria it can be found on slopes, along roads and on more or less any dry ground. I found it most common in the greater Grossglockner Area. The plant grows in the mountainous regions of France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and the Balkan countries.

The plant is between 20-80 cm tall. The flower head, leaves and the stem bear long, prickly spines which gave the the plant its name. The plant is endemic in certain regions.

spiniest thistle
Alpen-Kratzdistel – Spiniest Thistle
field thistle cirsium arvense
Acker-Kratzdistel – Field Thistle (Cirsium arvense)
field thistle cirsium arvense
Ackker-Kratzdistel – Field Thistle (Cirsium arvense)
field thistle with shepherds fritillary
Acker-Kratzdistel – Field Thistle with butterfly “Shepherd’s Fritillary
field thistle with insect
Acker-Kratzdistel – Field Thistle with insect
field thistle cirsium arvense
Acker – Kratzdistel – Field Thistle (Cirsium arvense)
silver thistle or dwarf carline thistle carlina arcaulis
Gewöhnliche Eberwurz / Silberdistel – Silver Thistle or Dwarf Carline Thistle (Carlina arcaulis)
Gewöhnliche Eberwurz / Silberdistel – Silver Thistle or Dwarf Carline Thistle (Carlina arcaulis) with a honey bee collecting nectar
silver thistle or dwarf carline thistle carlina arcaulis
Gewöhnliche Eberwurz / Silberdistel – Silver Thistle or Dwarf Carline Thistle (Carlina arcaulis) with a honey bee
spear thistle cirsium vulgare
Gewöhnliche Kratzdistel – Spear Thistle or Bull Thistle or Common Thistle (Crisium vulgare)
spear thistle cirsium vulgare
Gewöhnliche Kratzdistel – Spear Thistle or Bull Thistle or Common Thistle (Cirsium vulgare)
spear thistle cirsium vulgare
Gewöhnliche Kratzdistel – Spear Thistle or Bull Thistle or Common Thistle (Cirsium vulgare)
woolly thistle cirsium eriophorum
Wolldistel – Woolly Thistle (Cirsium eriophorum)
woolly thistle cirsium eriophorum
Wolldistel – Wooly Thistle (Cirsium eriophorum)
woolly thistle cirsium eriophorum
Wolldistel – Woolly Thistle (Cirsium eriophorum)
woolly thistle cirsium eriophorum
Woolly Thistle
woolly thistle cirsium eriophorum
Woolly Thistle

Other Alpine Plants along the Road

Although thistles are more or lesss endemic to Alpine regions, there are still many other plants and flowers worthwile to look at and, of course, to take the effort, capturing these plants on camera. I always recommend to use a tripod. But we all know that at times it is much easier taking shots out of hand and, sometimes, we are simply too lazy to place the tripod and to set up everything properly. In order to achieve maximum sharpness it is mandatory to use tripods.


edelweiss leontopodium nivale
Edelweiss or Alpen-Edelweiss (Leontopodium nivale)

The Edelweiss

The Edelweiss is a typical mountain flower and belongs to the Asteraceae family. This flower is very special. Look at stem, leaves, sepal and petals, these are all covered with dense hair giving the flower a soft apperance which is more than unique. This flower is very rare and you need to look carefully for this flower to find but one.

Usually they blossom in remote mountain areas, in steep rock faces and sometimes alongside roads. Sometimes the Edelweiss grows endemic on a single spot but mostly not. We find the Edelweiss in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol, Slovenia, Romania and Bulgaria but also in the French Alps and the Carpathians. So if you are out there look out for this beautiful flower. But don’t pick any of it. We found this flower quite often alongside roads.

edelweiss leontopodium nivale
Edelweiss – Alpen-Edelweiss (Leopntopodium nivale)
alpen-edelweiss leontopodium nivale
Edelweiss or Alpen-Edelweiss (Leontopodium nivale)
edelweiss leontopodium nivale
Edelweiss or Alpen-Edelweiss (Leontopodium nivale)
edelweiss leontopodium nivale
Edelweiss or Alpen-Edelweiss (Leontopodium nivale)

More Alpine Plants found in the valleys

Deutscher Fransenenzian – German Gentian or in the UK known as Chiltern Gentian (Gentianella germanica)
monks hood or wolfsbane aconitum napellus
Blauer Eisenhut – Monk’s Hood or Aconite or Wolfsbane (Aconitum napellus)
vipers bugloss echium vulgare
Viper’s bugloss or Blueweed (Echium vulgare)
Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis)
field scabious knautia arvensis
Fiels Scabious (Knautia arvvensis)
bog star parnassia palustris
Marsh Grass of Parnassus, Northern Grass Parnassus, Grass of Parnassus or simply Bog Star (Parnassia palustris)
alpine hawkweed hieracium alpinum
Alpen-Habichtskraut – Alpine Hawkweed (Hierarcium alpinum)
goldilocks buttercup ranunculus aricomus
Gold-Hahnenfuss – Goldilocks Buttercup or Greenland Buttercup (Ranunculus auricomus)
red clover trifolium pratense
Wiesen-Klee – Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
spearmint mentha spiaca
Ährige Minze – Spearmint or Garden Mint or Common Mint or Lamb Mint or Mackerel Mint (Mentha spiaca)
common yarrow achillea millefolium
Gemeine Schafgarbe – Yarrow or Common Yarrow
seidelwinkltal rauris
Seidelwinkltal – Austrian Alps – a place to find thistles and other plants

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