Native flora
The Binntal is a hotspot for flora - this requires the interaction of various factors: the topography is extremely varied. Valleys in all directions from 900 m above sea level are overlooked by mountains up to 3250 m above sea level. Passes from east to west lead to different flora areas and calcareous and siliceous rock types alternate. In terms of climate, the area sometimes belongs to the insubrian Ticino, sometimes to the dry Rhone valley or to the Simplon region, which is even more different. It is obvious that special plants grow here.
The richest flora thrives in the northern part of the Binntal on the brownish weathered, mostly calcareous Bünder slate with a mixed mineral content. In early summer in particular, a sea of flowers can be found here with alpine lily, Turk's cap, but also cushions of golden primrose and many butterfly flowers such as tragacanth species and, as a specialty, Haller's primrose. The Grengjer tulip blooms early in May in rye fields above Grengiols.
In the southern part of the Binntal valley on gneiss with gray, rugged mountain forms, we are delighted by wide areas of alpine roses and Swiss willow, which grow on the forest edge with larches and, rarely, Swiss stone pines. Silicate specialists such as the lesser soldanelle, lesser star-thistle, cut bellflower and alpine azalea are common.
The abundance of streams and mountain lakes in the gneiss region is striking and remarkable for Valais. The protected moorland of national importance on the Albrun Pass is home to the white haircap of various cotton grasses, as well as the tiny lily of the valley and two rare arctic relict sedges.
At lower altitudes on the south-facing slope, dry grasslands extend into the Binntal valley as foothills of the Valais rock steppe. The pink-flowering round-leaved hackberry, the blue lettuce, whose flowers only open in the morning, the tall spiked bellflower and the stemless tragacanth bloom here, as well as the Valais levcoje on the rocks. In the Twingi Gorge in particular, we find wet natural biotopes, water trickling down the slope and dry natural biotopes side by side - a magnificent variety.
Cut bellflower
The cut bellflower Campanula excisa is a delicate little plant. Its violet-blue bells with bulges between the crown tips are also delicate. It can sit in rows in crevices or form whole cushions on rubble. In the Binntal, it flowers at the beginning of July at Lärchultini opposite Brunnebiel at 1800 m above sea level, and in mid-August at the Geisspfadpass at 2400 m above sea level. It is always found on gneiss, never on Bündner slate, like the light blue cute bellflower. As an endemic of the Central and Western Alps, it has a distribution focus in the Binntal and is accordingly common here.
Grengjer tulip
The Grengjer tulip Tulipa grengiolensis has a special history. Botanically, it belongs to the Tulipa gesneriana family, from which many of our cultivated tulips are descended. On the Chalberweid near the upper village of Grengiols, it usually flowers yellow, more rarely also red-yellow striped or dark red. It was discovered and described there around 1945 by the botanist Eduard Thommen. In the decades that followed, it almost died out because it grows on winter rye fields, which were gradually abandoned. Committed nature lovers founded the Tulip Guild in 1996 and continued the traditional cultivation of the rye fields. As a result, the magnificent tulip, which only thrives here, has been preserved to this day. It is strictly protected.
Haller's primrose
Haller's primrose Primula halleri - named after the famous 18th century doctor and botanist Albrecht von Haller - is related to the small flour primrose, which is often found in damp locations. In contrast to the latter, it is a stately plant with a stem (shaft) up to 30 cm high and pink-red corymbose flowers with a 2-3 cm long corolla tube. It is a plant species of the bluegrass heaths and only thrives on calcareous Bündner slate in grasslands of the subalpine and alpine altitudes. It can only outcompete other plants on nutrient-poor soil. In Switzerland it is restricted to the southern ranges of the Alps.
Stemless tragacanth
Like the bean, the stemless tragacanth Astragalus exscapus belongs to the legume family. However, its yellow butterfly flowers and, at fruiting time, its beans (pods) sit deep in the leaf rosette of the pinnate leaves with over 20 hairy leaflets. As a south-eastern European species, it is only found in Switzerland in the southern valleys of the Valais and is considered a relict of the steppe grasslands of the Ice Age. It needs calcareous soil and therefore only thrives on Bündner slate. In the Binntal valley, it can be found on dry grassland, extensively grazed grassland or in pine forests from the montane to the subalpine altitudes. It is easy to find on the Binner Gale ob Fäld or in the Saflischtal.
Walliser Levkoje
The Valais levkoje Matthiola valesiaca grows in rock crevices or in the fine rubble of the Bündner slate, as it needs calcareous soil. It is easy to find in the Twingi Gorge when it is in flower in June. Typical are its rosette-like narrow leaves, which are gray-felted with star hairs. But watch out: Its relative, the yellow-flowered Swiss celandine, also has similar leaves and shares its habitat. Its reddish-purple flowers sit in clusters on a 10-30 cm high stem. It belongs to the cruciferous family with its four crosswise arranged corn leaves. It is a rarity, as it is otherwise only found in Switzerland in the Simplon region and in the Pfynwald forest.