Is a plant that supposedly has anti-aging properties that is protected in many areas in which it grows today, the claim is, due to over-harvesting. I don’t think that’s the reason though.

“The flower was also believed to possess magical powers. The first mention of the edelweiss by Moll described a conversation with a farmer in the Zillertal valley, Austria, who argued that when used as incense, the flower’s smoke drives away spirits that attack livestock and cause udder infections. The flower was said to aid digestion and treat respiratory illnesses like tuberculosis. Its medicinal benefits were perpetuated later in poems and stories: for example, in the 1970 classic Asterix in Switzerland, Asterix and Obelix are sent on a search to find edelweiss or what is known as ‘silver star’ for an antidote to a poison.”

https://www.aboutswitzerland.eda.admin.ch/en/the-mystical-and-mythical-edelweiss

Edelweiss Lyrics

Edelweiss, edelweiss
Every morning you greet me
Small and white, clean and bright
You look happy to meet me
Blossom of snow, may you bloom and grow
Bloom and grow forever
Edelweiss, edelweiss
Bless my homeland forever

Edelweiss, edelweiss
Every morning you greet me

Small and white, clean and bright
You look happy to meet me

Blossom of snow, may you bloom and grow
Bloom and grow forever
Edelweiss, edelweiss
Bless my homeland forever

There are a lot of additional magical properties to these wonderful flowers.

Mark Twain famously visited the Alpine region they grow in and remarked on how unremarkable they are. These flowers aren’t appreciated for their physical beauty, but their magical properties.