The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-10-16
THE EDELWEISS.
A Flower that Lures Alpine Tour
lists to Destruction.

"A flONcr tmdJ LurcS Alp1mc Ours
lists to Destruction.
Tine Swiss Continent]
Every traveller in Switzerland is famil-
lar with the tender star-shaped flowers of
this curious plant, whose sage-green BIOS
SONS are stuck into the hat of every
guide, and are collected with rare ingen-
uity by the importunate little rascals
who race the carriages on the road, or
start out like rabbits from the bushes as
tine pedestrian begins his solitary climb
The plant is scarce and. very partial. 1t
is found in the Engadine, seldom in the
Bernese Oberland, and has particular
corners and mountains that it loves to
affect. This scarcity and partiality gave
to the Edelweiss somewhat unhealthy
notOriety. .. .u.....
The rarer it became the more ambi-
tious were the excursionists to obtain a
sprig, Some years ago every cockney
hat was adorned with this curious bloom,
feathered, as its botanical name implies,
like an old mans beard, and it was no
longer sign of patience and endurance
to wear this pretty badge that hitherto
had denoted a long climb and patient
search. When tourists began to brand
their alpenstocks down in the valley with
the name of mountain whose base they
touched, but whose top they never at
tempted to reach, then was Edelweiss
sold by the handful at Interlaken, Cha
mount, and Grindelwald, and the guides,
porters and boys were tempted to rife
the mountains of their peerless flowers
When the rage for art greens came
upon us in full force, aesthetic young
ladies fattered themselves that wreath
of the soft petals would look becoming
in the hair, and some went SO far as to
appear at fancy balls in the character of
the Alps, smothered in Edelweiss. As
for the flower itself, it was not SO courte-
Gus and graceful as the Indian plant of
! beauty, that raises up its head and opens
at the approach Of woman. On the
contrary, il refused to be in any way gra-
cious at the touch of the female botanist,
and sternly declined to be transpanted.
The more obstinate was the Edelweiss,
the more determined became the ladies,
and they purchased it by the root, care
fully tended it during the journey home,
nursed it across the sea, watched it at
every railway station, and handed it to
the family gardener, in order to hear in a
few days that the plant, sickening and
signing for it's mountain home, had re.
fused to exist in England with the aid Of
any artificial process. .u
There have only been one Or two very
rare aud exceptional cases where the
Edelweiss was induced to live and give
forth flowers in England, and then the
result was only obtained by a system Of
nursing that would have worn out the
majority of botanists. At last the Swis,
Government determined to put down by
law the wholesale obstruction Of this pop.
ular flower. 1t was rapidly disappearing
altogether from the country, when an en-
actment made it penal to take plant uT
by the roots. The dignity and import
ance of legislation gave new impetus tt
the interest that was attached to tn,
plant, and going in search Of the Eldel
weiss became as attractive source o.
danger as any to be found in Switzerland
Unaccompanied by guides and strayins
from the beaten TRACKS, more than ont
tourist has risked his life, and severa
have been already killed In the quest