# Soldanella

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Genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae

Soldanella Soldanella alpina Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Embryophytes Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Spermatophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Clade: Asterids Order: Ericales Family: Primulaceae Subfamily: Primuloideae Genus: Soldanella L. Species Soldanella alpicola Soldanella alpina Soldanella angusta Soldanella austriaca Soldanella calabrella Soldanella carpatica Soldanella chrysosticta Soldanella hungarica Soldanella major Soldanella marmarossiensis Soldanella minima Soldanella montana Soldanella oreodoxa Soldanella pindicola Soldanella pseudomontana Soldanella pusilla Soldanella rhodopaea Soldanella tatricola Soldanella villosa

The genus ***Soldanella***, commonly known in English as **snowbell**, includes about 15 species of flowering plants native to European mountains, from the [Pyrenees](/source/Pyrenees), the [Apennines](/source/Apennine_Mountains), the [Alps](/source/Alps), the [Carpathians](/source/Carpathian_Mountains) and the [Balkans](/source/Balkans). They grow in woods, damp pastures and rocky landscapes from 500-3,000 m above sea level, often in hollows which hold snow into late spring and early summer. The name *Soldanella* means "little coins" in [Italian](/source/Italian_language).[1]

## Appearance

The plant typically has a basal rosette of simple, orbicular [leaves](/source/Leaf) 1–5 cm wide, with the flower stalks arising from the centre of the rosette, each stalk bearing 1-6 white to violet [flowers](/source/Flower).

The species are similar to each other and it is nearly impossible to identify images. Subtle differences are observable using a magnifying glass.

The species can be lumped in groups of similar appearance.

Large-sized plants

1. *S. villosa* occurring in Basque Lands at low elevations has large papery leaves and about 1 mm glandular hairs on petioles.

Medium-sized plants

2. *[S. alpina](/source/Soldanella_alpina)* including *S. occidentalis* and *S. pyrolaefolia* occurring in the Alps and Southern European mountains has sitting glands on petioles, scapes and pedicels.

3. *S. carpatica* occurring in the Western Carpathians in Slovakia and Poland has sitting glands on petioles but short glandular hairs on pedicels.

4. *S. marmarossiensis* including *S. rugosa* occurring in the North-Eastern Carpatians in [Ukraine](/source/Ukraine) and Romania has short glandular hairs on petioles and pedicels and narrowly crateriform corolla.

5. *S. angusta*, *S. calabrella*, *S. chrysosticta* including *S. cyanaster*, *S. hungarica*, *S. major*, *S. montana*, *S. oreodoxa*, *S. pindicola* including *S. dimoniei* and *S. macedonica*, *S. pseudomontana*, *S. rhodopaea*, *S. tatricola* all having broadly crateriform corolla mutually differ in the length and shape of cells forming short glandular hairs on petioles and pedicels.

Small-sized plants

6. *S. alpicola* occurring in the Alps, *S. pusilla* occurring in the Southern Carpathians and *S. pirinica* occurring in Bulgaria are characterized by the top position of the bract and sitting glands. Often encountered hybrid *S. alpina* × *S. alpicola* has laterally positioned bract.

7. *S. austriaca* and *S. minima* occurring in the Alps and Apennines are characterized by short glandular hairs and laterally positioned bract.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** The botanical name *Soldanella* dates from the 16th century and comes from Italian *soldo* which was a type of coin (from medieval Latin *soldanus*, a certain type of coin). *Soldanella* is a [diminutive](/source/Diminutive) of *soldo*; it means little coins. Book: *The Names of Plants* by David Gledhill, year 2008, page 355.

Taxon identifiers Soldanella Wikidata: Q158203 Wikispecies: Soldanella BioLib: 39285 CoL: 7JDW EoL: 5508221 EPPO: 1SLDG GBIF: 7290442 GRIN: 11266 iNaturalist: 132619 IPNI: 32839-1 IRMNG: 1330285 NBN: NHMSYS0020704633 NCBI: 59824 Open Tree of Life: 525992 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:32839-1 Tropicos: 40001690 WFO: wfo-4000035691

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