Doronicum clusii Tufted Leopard's-bane
This perennial member of the Asteraceae family, grows in tufts amongst the rocks in various alpine regions of Europe. It was named after Charles de l'Écluse (also known as Carolus Clusius) a botanist of the 16th century and who was amongst the first to systematically explore Austrian flora.
Members of the Doronicum genus can look remarkably similar and although some can be separated by habitat, often it is necessary to study micro morphological features such as the type of leaf hair, in order to be sure of the identification. It could be confused with Doronicum grandiflorum or even Arnica montana which also grow in this region of Switzerland according to Flora Helvetica.
Bernina Alps above Pontresina, Engadine, Switzerland 6th July 2010
Added on 13th September 2010, updated 12th Nov 2014