The genus Alyssum includes many perennial or sub-shrubby species at the base, mostly originating from the Mediterranean basin and the mountainous regions of central and southern Europe. Rockery species prefer well-drained calcareous substrates, screes, rocky ledges, and dry grasslands, often exposed to full sun.
The photographed plant forms a dense and distinctly domed cushion, about fifteen centimeters high, covered with small oblong gray-green leaves, slightly tomentose. The flowers, bright yellow to sulfur yellow, are grouped in short, tight corymbs that completely cover the foliage at the time of flowering. In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from May to July depending on altitude and exposure.
In cultivation, these rockery alyssums require a very well-drained soil, poor to moderately fertile, in full sun exposure; they fear excess winter moisture. Light pruning after flowering maintains the compactness of the cushion.