Alpine Wildflowers in Zermatt

For my Alpine Flora Collection, I drew eighteen different alpine wildflowers. I chose the ones which I have seen most frequently whilst hiking in Zermatt and the surrounding meadows. Read on to discover their common names, latin names, where to find them in Zermatt, and my personal favourites as well as little anecdotes about each one.

Alpine Aster near Moosjesee above Zermatt.

Alpine Aster (aster alpinus)

With it’s bright yellow centres and lilac petals, the Alpine Aster is a little garish, but therefore easy to remember when and where you’ve seen it. My favourite memory is of finding a patch of these above a marmot burrow, with a little family of newborns popping in and out to discover the world.

Alpine Bird’s Foot Trefoil (lotus alpinus)

These remind me of mini antirrhinums, which I use to love playing with in the garden as a child. My favourite memory of this one is my first hike from Schwartzsee down to Zermatt, past Staffelalp. The trail has some dramatic scenery taking you close to the bottom of the North face of the Matterhorn. The rolling landscape and moss covered rocks in the area remind me of scenes from Lord of the Rings!

Blue Spring Gentian and yellow Alpine Bird’s Foot Trefoil can be seen in this wildflower meadow below the North Face of the Matterhorn.

Alpine Columbine (aquilegia alpina)

Also known as Breath of God (for reasons unknown and undiscovered by me - do let me know if you know!), I’ve frequently spotted it along the AHV weg and path to Reid. Both paths are easily accessible from Zermatt, and the AHV weg, also know as the Pensioners Trail or Granny Path (!), is now home to Wolli Wonderland, a mixture of play areas and information about native animals and plants dotted along the trail.

Alpine Sea Holly (eryngium alpinium)

The Alpine Sea Holly has the best nickname of all - Queen of the Alps! It could be mistaken for some kind of thistle. As well as being found in the mountains, this one is popular in local flowerbeds for its distinct structure.

Drawing the wildflower, Alpine Sea Holly.

Bearded Bellflower (campanula barbata)

The bearded bellflower is one of the most common wildflowers on the list, I’ve most often spotted it on the lower hiking trails around Zermatt. You’ll frequently find lovely shiny or striped beetles hanging out on them.

Black Vanilla Orchid (nigritella nigra)

So named because its flowers smell of vanilla, I’ve only spotted this one twice, but included it in my illustrations because I love it’s deep shade of red and the multitude of petals crammed into such a small area.

Cobweb Houseleek (sempervivum arachnoideum)

The spider web like strands in the base of this succulent give the Cobweb Houseleek its name. It is one of my favourites in this list and can be found from 5cm small to 15cm high, towering over the other mosses and succulents it is found amongst.

Close up of my Cobweb Houseleek illustration.

Edelweiss (leontopodium alpinum)

You are more likely to find the national flower of Switzerland, the famous Edelweiss, in flower pots and village gardens these days. It is very fare to find this flower in the Alps, but if you do go in search, it tends to grow at an altitude of 2500 metres.

Alpine Flora - Golden Sunset print, featuring yellow, orange and red alpine wildflowers.

Globeflower (trollius europaeus)

From a distance these can be mistaken for tall buttercups in large fields of flowers. They look exactly as the name describes, a yellow globe atop a green stalk, they look too heavy to stand upright.

Golden Hawk’s Beard (crepis aurea)

You could be mistaken for thinking the Golden Hawk’s Beard was a small orangey dandelion, but those I’ve seen are usually much smaller. As with many flowers found in the grassy fields, the leaves of this flower merge into the carpet of green in the rolling hills.

Moss Campion (silene acaulis)

Moss Campion flowers are smaller than your pinky fingernail and can be found in the cracks and crevices of large boulders in the Spring and Summer months. One of my favourite trails to hike is the Höhbalmenweg as it is unreachable, except on foot. This photo was taken there.

Moss Campion found on the Höbalmenweg in Zermatt.

Rampion (phyteuma hemisphaericum)

The rampion is definitely one to stop and look at more closely. The petals are a mixture of rounded finger like petals and pointed ones, and it was one of my favourites to draw.

Single Flower Knapweed (centaurea uniflora)

The Alpine Thistle is very similar to the Single Flower Knapweed, so this is the one flower I have to do a double take with before identifying.

Shining Scabious (scabiosa lucida)

Often found in the same areas as the Single Flower Knapweed, both bring their fushia pink flowers into the mix of colourful wildflowers. These are easily found in the fields on your way up to the Edelweiss hut - that building in the woods, seemingly unreachable, that everyone new to Zermatt comments on, and wonders how on earth to get there. When you do, be sure to stop for a slice of their infamous carrot cake and a photo with the view of town.

Alpine Flora - Heliotrope Print, featuring pink and purple alpine wildflowers.

Spring Gentian (gentiana verna)

This was the first of the flowers in Zermatt that I learnt the name of. In the Spring the ski slopes come to life as the marmots wake up, the grass turns green and these delicate flowers spring up amongst the buttercups and crocuses. In German, Gentian translates as Enzian, and you’ll find many restaurants, hotels and buildings named after these bright blue flowers.

Swiss Rock Jasmine (androsace helvetica)

This Swiss Rock Jasmine grows in rock crevices, spreading out into a beautiful little carpet over the rock. Head up to the rock climbing face behind Flualp and you’ll find it in the rocks at the base of the pitches.

Alpine Flora - Azure Blue print, featuring a selection of blue alpine wildflowers.

Trumpet Gentian (gentiana acaulis)

The Trumpet, or Stemless Gentian is several times the size of the Spring Gentian, with darker petal centres. They appear around the same time in Spring, their vivid blue bringing the alpine meadows to life.

Yellow Mountain Saxifrage

The last on the list brings a splash of colour to the rocky areas it is found in. You’ll also find a white versions of these little flowers in the same areas too.

All these flowers are illustrated in my Alpine Flora Collection. Why not order a print and take it on your next alpine adventure?

Alpine Flora Art Print, size A3, featuring all eighteen flowers described in this article.

Special thanks and credit go to ‘Alpenblumen’ in the GU Kompass book series for much of what I have learnt about alpine flowers to date.