Perennial of the Rosaceae family, Alchemilla alpina is a species of the montane and subalpine levels, present in the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Scandinavian mountains, and the British Isles, where it grows on high-altitude lawns, stabilized scree, and rocks, generally on acidic and well-drained soils.
It forms low and compact clumps of 10-20 cm. Its leaves are deeply divided into 5 to 7 narrow leaflets, dark green on top, and covered on their underside with a dense silvery silky pubescence which is its most distinctive and immediately recognizable feature. This hairiness gives it a remarkable bicolor effect with the slightest movement of the wind. The flowers are tiny, yellow-green, gathered in small corymbs, not very spectacular but characteristic of the genus.
Adapted to the harsh conditions of altitude, it withstands poor soils, intense cold, and windy exposures. In cultivation, it is suitable for rock gardens or plantings between stones, in well-drained soil, in a sunny or semi-shaded position.