Edelweiss Flower Symbolism. Is a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. It is part of the large daisy Compositae or Asteraceae family.
Also known by its scientific name of Leontopodium alpinum this plant is related to daisy flowers as they are part of the Asteraceae family of plants. In the 19th century the edelweiss became a symbol of the rugged purity of the Alpine region and of its native inhabitants. It has long been popular in Europe and acquired symbolic historic and other meanings.
Although edelweiss technically does not fall under the classification of flowers it is in.
In the 19th century the flower represented a paradise at a time of scepticism about Europes growing cities. The flower was also a controversial symbol of nationalism in Germany and Austria as the favourite flower of Adolf Hitler but also the emblem of the Nazi resistance movement the Edelweiss Pirates. Because of how high up the Edelweiss grew if your partner were to bring you an Edelweiss flower it would mean they have climbed up to a very high altitude to get it. It is found only in white and the German translation of the word edelweiss quite literally means white and noble.