''Leontopodium microphyllum'', known as Taiwan edelweiss, or small leaf edelweiss, is a species of plant in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

. It is endemic to the mountains of

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. The plant is a relative of the European Edelweiss (''

Leontopodium alpinum ''Leontopodium nivale'', commonly called edelweiss (german: Alpen-Edelweiß, English pronunciation ), is a mountain flower belonging to the daisy or sunflower family Asteraceae. The plant prefers rocky limestone places at about altitude. It is ...

''). It was first published by Japanese botanist

Bunzō Hayata was a Japanese botanist noted for his taxonomic work in Japan and Formosa, present day Taiwan. Early life Hayata was born to a devout Buddhist family in Kamo, Niigata on December 2, 1874. When he was 16, Hayata became interested in botany, and ...

in 1908.

Description

''Leontopodium microphyllum'' is a low

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

grows in alpine mountain habitats, at altitudes of .

References

microphyllum Endemic flora of Taiwan Alpine flora Plants described in 1908 {{Gnaphalieae-stub