EDELWEISS (Leontopodiurn alpinum), a perennial plant of the composite family (Compositae), a native of the Alps of cen tral Europe. It is a small herb reaching about 6 in. high, with narrow white woolly leaves, and terminal flower-heads enveloped in woolly bracts. The woolly cov ering enables the plant to thrive in the exposed situations in which it is found, by protecting it from drying up through excessive loss of moisture. It is much sought after by some visitors to the Alps but although rather sporadic in its distribution it is not rare and grows readily in gardens under lowland conditions.