- photographed in the Pyrenees -
- photographed in the Pyrenees -
Perennial of the Asteraceae family, this subspecies is confined to the Pyrenees, where it occupies high-altitude tall herb communities, stream banks, moist screes, and snow hollows, generally between 1,400 and 2,600 meters. It favors fresh to moist substrates, rich in organic matter, in shade or semi-shade, often on limestone.
It forms powerful clumps of large size, reaching 80 to 150 cm in height under favorable conditions. The leaves are very large, heart-shaped to kidney-shaped, long-petioled, medium green on the upper side and whitish to slightly tomentose on the underside; their broad and architectural habit is one of the most immediately striking features of the plant.
The flowers are gathered in small tubular capitula, lilac-pink to mauve-pink, grouped in large, highly branched terminal corymbs that crown the stems at flowering time, from July to August. The light and airy inflorescence contrasts with the massive character of the foliage.
In cultivation, it requires deep soil, constantly fresh to moist, rich in humus, in shade or semi-shade; it does not tolerate summer drought. It is suitable for moist woodland gardens, pond edges, and large-scale compositions with a natural and mountainous character.