Welcome-home-husband-no matter-how-drunk-you-be…aka, the Houseleek

A fine specimen growing on rocks on the Italian side of the Matterhorn, at around 2500m altitude

As spring turns to summer and restrictions on movement and travel finally start to ease, my thoughts turn to the guiding season ahead and with it, all of the marvellous little flowers that grow beside the trails throughout the Alps. From May through to September, one can literally see a hundred species of alpine flora while out in the mountains. What’s visible on any given day varies depending on the altitude, the underlying rock type, the drainage, the aspect of slope and, amongst other factors, how early or late in the summer it is!

Most alpine flowers have adapted in some way in order to find their niche (excuse the pun) on the mountainside. They must overcome many hardships: extremes of temperature, a short growing season, thin or non-existent soil and often, a lack of essential moisture and nutrients, necessary to keep the plants alive.

The Mountain Houseleek is no exception and has evolved to live quite comfortably on rocky ground or simply on rock, requiring little water or soil and coping well in lime-deficient areas. It is one of my favourite plants, in part because of its striking appearance, but also because of its backstory and all the weird and wonderful alternative names that it possesses as a result!

Despite the adaptations, Mountain Houseleek shares similarities with it cousin down in the valley - the Common Houseleek. One likes living on outcrops and cliffs, the other on rooftops and garden walls. It’s generic scientific name ‘Sempervivum’ comes from the latin ‘semper’ (always) and vivum (alive), referring to its ability to thrive in the toughest of conditions (I also like this about the plant!) The specific names are ‘montanum’ for the mountain variety and ‘tectorum’ meaning ‘roof’ for the common variety.

As far back as Roman times it has been associated with bringing good fortune to households. It flourishes on tiled, slate or thatched roofs and has also been purposefully planted there in the belief that it will ward off lightning strikes and fire, protect the house from storms and bring good fortune to those dwelling under the roof.

These beliefs surely tie in with a recurring theme in several of Houseleek’s other common names - Thunderplant, Thunderbeard and Jupiter’s Beard. Jupiter is of course the god of thunder and the densely packed flowers with their tangle of twisted petals are thought to have resembled his beard. In French and German, the common names have the same origin - Joubarbe (Jupiter’s Beard) and Donnersbart (Thunderbeard).

The plant can survive in harsh conditions and up to altitudes of 3400m, largely due to it’s thick, succulent and tightly packed leaves which grow low to the ground and retain moisture when there is little to be found in the surrounding environment. This enables the plant to endure long periods of drought and the windy conditions in the high mountains which can easily lead to excess moisture loss in other, less adapted plants.

Another great name is ‘Welcome-home-husband-no matter-how-drunk-you-be’! Several theories exist as to the origin of this name. The Romans apparently used an extract of the plant in one of their love medicines and it was used as a spice in cooking to heighten virility! Another thought is that the plant requires little maintenance, just like a husband that passes out on the couch after coming home a little “the worse for wear”.

One more colloquial name is ‘Hens and Chicks’ which comes from the way that the plant reproduces. As can be seen in the picture, the mother plant, or ‘hen’, sends out creeping stems from which sprout multiple rosettes, or ‘chicks’, which may subsequently separate to become another plant. The plant is monocarpic, meaning that it will grow for several years before finally flowering and then dying shortly after.

For me, it is a real treat to find a small cluster of colourful Houseleeks growing amongst the rocks while guiding groups through the Dolomites or on the Tour du Mont Blanc. They can provide a welcome little distraction on a tough climb and even a little inspiration as to how it is possible to prevail and flourish in sometimes harsh conditions!