Androsace vitaliana (= Douglasia vitaliana)

Androsace vitaliana (L.) Lapeyr. [ Douglasia vitaliana (L.) Benth. ex Hook. f., Vitaliana primuliflora Bertol.] — Vitaliano's Androsace.

Endemic species of the great mountains of southern Europe: Alps, Pyrenees, Apennines, and Cantabrian Mountains, between 1,800 and 3,500 meters altitude.

Its nomenclatural history is particularly complex, having been successively attached to the genera Douglasia and Vitaliana before being reintegrated into the genus Androsace by recent molecular classifications.

Forms dense and creeping cushions, sometimes extensive, of small linear rosettes with narrow, grayish-green, slightly ciliated leaves.

The flowers, with a characteristic bright and luminous yellow — unique in the genus Androsace —, are solitary, sessile or borne on very short stems, with a tubular corolla with five spreading lobes.

Flowering from April to July depending on altitude. Well-drained substrate, acidic to neutral, full sun exposure.

One of the most spectacular alpine plants in bloom, sometimes covering large areas with bright yellow.