10 remarkable mountain plants you absolutely need to know

The mountain is a formidable ecosystem for flora and fauna; we have selected 10 essential mountain plants for you to know. Medicinal herb, edible plant or even rarer species, discover the most interesting varieties found in our mountains. This focus will offer you a first approach to better recognize certain plants and thus better respect their environment.

In our selection, you will find the flowering period, the altitude and lots of precise information to give you a better chance of admiring these different varieties in their natural habitat.

Nature has so much to offer us when we take the time to observe it better.

Arnica montana L. Asteraceae

L’Arnica is a beautiful yellow-orange "daisy" 20 to 60 cm tall with a sturdy stem, found mainly in mountain meadows and pastures with siliceous or decalcified soils. It is present in all the French mountain ranges.

Altitude: from 600 to 2800 m

Flowering from June to September

It was long called the «Tobacco of the Savoyards» because once upon a time the dried leaves replaced tobacco.

But the plant is toxic when taken internally and only Arnica tincture is still used on bruises and contusions.

Attention: The picking of mountain flowers is regulated.

Leontopidium alpinum . Asteraceae

This is theEdelweiss, the silver star.

It is an astonishing plant that is one of the most evolved in the plant world. The small flowers are arranged in small clusters in a woolly structure that simulates a single flower.

The silver down reflects the sunlight and thus protects the flower from drying out.

The flowers appear from July to September.

The Edelweiss grows up to 2500 m above sea level in sunny rocky meadows and crevices in rocks.

It is found in the Vosges, the Jura and the Alps.

This attractive and symbolic plant is subject to a regulated harvesting.

It is rare in the Pre-Alps.

Gentiana lutea L. Gentianaceae

This beautiful Yellow Gentian is a large perennial plant of mountain meadows and pastures. Its leaves are opposite, which distinguishes it from white false hellebore (Veratrum album), a toxic plant with alternate leaves.

It can exceed one meter in height.

The flowering takes place in July, August.

It can be found up to 2500 m altitude.

Its medicinal properties are well known: The dried root is used as a good fever reducer and an excellent stimulant of digestive functions.

Many aperitifs based on yellow gentian and spirits are produced in the Vosges, the Jura, the Massif Central and the Alps.

The harvesting is regulated. The plant is listed on the red list of endangered species in Europe

Artemisia genipi Weber L. Asteraceae

It is the true or black genepi that grows very high in altitude up to 3500 m above sea level,

It is a silky-woollen plant of whitish-green color that contains small yellowish tubular flowers in capsules.

The genuine Génépi contains a strongly aromatic principle (the smell of absinthe).

There are other varieties that resemble it: the woolly Genepi, the white Genepi.

It is found at high altitudes in the crevices of rocks and on the moraines.

The flowering period extends from July to September.

Génépi is threatened by excessive picking and high-altitude construction work in some ski areas.

Professional pickers must apply for a permit from the administration.

The family harvest is limited to a handful.

Its aperitive and digestive properties explain the presence of many flavored liqueurs and beers.

Lilium martagon L. Liliaceae

This is the martagon lily, a very attractive species that can grow over a meter tall.

It is a bulbous species that is too often plucked by walkers to decorate gardens.

The pink-violet flowers dotted with purple curl upwards and emit a strong scent. The flowers are grouped in clusters.

This species can be found up to 2000 m above sea level in cool, rocky places, such as prairies and moorlands with Rhododendron plants.

The flowering period extends from June to August.

The picking of this lily is strictly regulated

Cypripedium calceolus L. Orchidaceae

It’s the legendary lady's slipper orchid that everyone hopes to come across.

This large orchid (20 to 80 cm) stands with 1 or 2 flowers per stem.

The flower, typical of orchids, has purplish-brown petals forming a helmet and a bright yellow slipper-shaped lip.

Insects become temporarily trapped in the slipper and come out carrying pollen to pollinate other flowers.

Flowering extends from May to July in clearings of beech-fir forests.

Overly closed habitats are unfavorable to it.

It is very rare in the Pyrenees. It is found in limestone mountains and is fully protected nationally.

Despite its protected status, bulbs and flowers are still being taken.

In addition to illegal picking, the lady's slipper orchid is threatened by the natural closing-in of clearings, so forest management plans must allow for more open woodland and the continued maintenance of clearings.

Rhododendron ferrugineum L. Ericaceae

Rhododendron ferrugineum is an evergreen shrub that can grow to over

1 m in height. It grows between 1500 and 2000 m above sea level at the limit of the sub-alpine zone.

This very branched shrub has oval leaves with a rust-colored underside.

The flowering takes place from June to August. The numerous flowers are bright red, giving the mountain an exceptional coloration over large areas.

The flowers exude a very pleasant, vagabond-like scent. It is also called the Alpine rose.

This rhododendron grows on acidic and fertile soils. It is less common in the limestone mountains, where another species takes over: the Rhododendron hirsute.

It is a shrub that spreads when high-altitude pastures are abandoned.

Dryas octopetala L. Rosaceae

This Dryad is a cousin of the rose with the particularity of having flowers with 8 petals.
Its small, persistent leaves resemble oak leaves. The Dryade is also called Chênette.
The white flowers, 2 to 4 cm wide, appear from May to August depending on the altitude.
The plant grows in rocky outcrops and limestone meadows between 1200 and 2500 m altitude.
The Dryade is characteristic of cold environments; in this capacity, it gave its name to a geological period, the Dryas, a period of cooling associated with the last ice age (from -14,000 to -9,000 years).

In everyday usage, the plant was used for its leaves and served as tea in the Alps.
Today it is protected in many regions.
On steep slopes, it helps stabilize scree

Erythronium dens-canis L. Liliaceae

The dog's-tooth violet is rare and very vulnerable if its canine-tooth-shaped bulb is pulled up!
This plant has two opposite leaves with reddish spots.
In the spring, it will be one of the first flowers to break through the snow cover.
The purplish-pink flower has 6 tepals that curve upwards.
At low altitude, it is found in the clear undergrowth of the deciduous trees, the shaded edges and slopes.
It can also be found up to 1500m above sea level in meadows and grassy areas in full sunlight.
It is a very vulnerable species because it is subject to numerous harvesting practices, especially in spring at low altitudes.
It is subject to picking regulations. Foresters must take its presence into account in their management plans.

Eriophorum Scheuchzeri Hoppe Ericaceae

This Scheuchzer's cottongrass lives in large colonies in peaty or marshy soils.

The female flowers, barely visible when young, then develop beautiful white, cottony tufts, visible in July and August. The seeds can thus be dispersed by the wind.

Eriophorum means "wool-bearer"

The plant, 10 to 40 cm tall, grows in acidic, high-altitude bogs.

In the past, these "wool-bearers" were gathered to stuff pillows and cushions.

These plants are associated with the protection of wetlands and peatlands.

Indeed, any drainage work or creation of reservoirs for artificial snow can weaken these moisture-loving plant communities.

 

Well, now you are well-versed in mountain plants; we hope that our selection will help you recognize certain varieties during your next mountain hikes.