Hungarian snowbell

About

Soldanella hungarica is a small plant that seems unafraid of the cold. Its fringed bells appear in high mountain meadows right after the snow melts, often breaking through a thin layer of thawed snow. Therefore, it blooms when there is still snow on the polonynas, from May to July, depending on the altitude and the year.

The plant is 5–10 cm tall. The leaves are gathered in a basal rosette, rounded, kidney-shaped, leathery, entire, resembling coins, hence the Ukrainian name 'monetnytsia'. On a thin stem, there are one to three drooping flowers with a purple or lilac corolla 8–12 mm long, deeply divided into narrow segments, resembling fringes.

The species has a small range: the Eastern and Southern Carpathians in Ukraine and Romania. In the Ukrainian Carpathians, Soldanella grows above the tree line, in subalpine and alpine meadows, near snowfields and in depressions where snow lingers for a long time. It is known on the Chornohora ridge, particularly on Howerla, Pożyżewska, and Hutin-Tomnatyk, on Świdowiec and on Mount Pip Ivan Marmarosky.

Soldanella is not listed in the current Red Book of Ukraine, but most of its habitats lie within the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve and the Carpathian National Nature Park. It is best seen in early summer on the trails to Howerla and along the Chornohora ridge: watch your step near the edges of the snowfields.

Where in the Carpathians

The map shows where naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records), not every place it lives. The Ukrainian Carpathians are less studied, so a blank area does not mean the species is absent.

Countries

Ukraine · Romania · Slovakia

Mountain ranges

Chornohora, Maramureș Mountains, Svydovets, Făgăraș Mountains, Bucegi Mountains, Piatra Craiului, Bihor-Vlădeasa Mountains, Krasna Polonyna, Borzhava, Rodna Mountains

Altitude belts

Beech forests (600–1200 m) · Conifer forests (1200–1600 m) · Subalpine belt (1600–1900 m) · Alpine belt (above 1900 m)

When to see it

From naturalists’ observations in the Carpathians (iNaturalist, research grade): the darker the cell, the more often the species is seen that month.

Protection and rules

Not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. Mostly grows in protected areas — do not pick and stay on the trail.

FAQ