Saussurea laniceps seed
LATIN NAME: SAUSSUREA LANICEPS
COMMON NAME: Woolly Snow Lotus
On the windswept screes of the high Himalaya and the Tibetan plateau, the woolly snow lotus grows as a low, clumping perennial with the soft, narrow leaves wrapped in a dense, white, woolly felt and the erect, felted stems carrying the nodding heads of purple florets among the white wool in the short alpine summer. It steadily establishes a rounded crown, eventually 5-10 metres tall. Site it in full sun, in deep, fertile ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The woolly snow lotus holds a place in the studies of the high-altitude flora of the Tibetan plateau, its dense wool and its short flowering window keeping it in view in the work on the alpine adaptations and the rare medicinal plants of the high mountains. The research looks at the way the felted wool shields the leaves from the wind and the cold, the purple heads push through the wool, and the seed biology of the small, plumed seeds.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
In the alpine rock garden, the woolly snow lotus makes the dense silver rosette that seems to belong to the high screes, and the purple heads open in the cool of the short season. The plant holds a long place in the mountain traditions of the plateau, and it makes the fine collector”s alpine, the rock-garden treasure and the conversation piece of the cold garden. It is a plant for the cool, sunny, sharp-drained place.
To grow the Woolly Snow Lotus from seed, sow the fine seeds on the surface of gritty, well-drained compost.
Sow the fine seeds on the surface of gritty, well-drained compost, and keep the young rosettes in the cool, open spot. The silver wool thickens through the season.
LATIN NAME: Saussurea laniceps
COMMON NAME: Snow Lotus, Cotton-head Snow Lotus, Mian Tou Xue Lian
The snow lotus is one of the most famous and most beautiful plants of the high Himalaya, and it grows where almost nothing else can live. The species develops an upright, columnar form, around sixty centimetres high. Growth leads to a compact, leafy clump, reaching thirty to sixty centimetres.
The snow lotus belongs to the daisy family, Asteraceae, and it is a rare snow lotus found only in the Himalaya, including Nepal and southwest China. It grows above about 3,200 metres altitude on alpine scree slopes, and it is reputed to have medicinal properties according to traditional Chinese medicine.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The snow lotus has a genuine and important place in both botanical and conservation research. It has been studied in botany and in research on high-altitude plants, since it is a remarkable example of a plant that has adapted to the extreme conditions of the alpine scree, and researchers have examined its structure, its woolly covering and its survival in the harsh environment, which is of interest in the study of alpine plant adaptation. The plant has also been studied in conservation biology, since it is rare and it is gathered for traditional medicine, and the collecting has placed pressure on the wild populations, so researchers have examined its distribution, its decline and the efforts to protect it, making it a focus of high-altitude plant conservation. The species has also been studied for its chemistry, since its traditional uses have guided research into its compounds. For a plant of such iconic beauty and such conservation need, the snow lotus has a rich and serious record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the snow lotus is a marvel of the high mountain. Its purple flowers feed the few insects of the alpine zone, and its woolly leaves shelter it from the freezing wind, while it is a rare and iconic member of the flora of the Himalaya, a plant that deserves every protection.
Its economic value is real but must be handled with care. It has long been valued in traditional Chinese medicine, and because of this demand the wild populations are under pressure, so the great need is for protection and sustainable use to preserve this rare plant of the high mountains. For a grower, the snow lotus is a rare and precious plant, and for a gardener with a cold, sunny, well-drained spot it brings a ball of woolly white that opens to purple bloom. The seeds need a good spell of cold — keep them in the fridge in damp compost for a couple of months, then sow them on the surface of moist, gritty, free-draining compost, and theyll sprout slowly in cool conditions, growing on gradually into a rare treasure of the alpine garden.