Perennial of the Asteraceae family, Artemisia valesiaca is an endemic species of Valais, Switzerland, where it is strictly localized to the driest slopes of the Rhône valley, between approximately 500 and 1,000 meters. It colonizes continental steppes, rocky slopes, and dry screes on siliceous or gneissic substrates, in extreme conditions of drought and summer heat, where few other plants persist.
It forms a bushy subshrub, upright to semi-spreading, 30 to 60 cm in height, with woody stems at the base and highly branched. The foliage, as seen in this photograph, is finely cut into narrow, rigid strips, covered with a dense tomentum that gives it a strong silvery gray-white hue, almost uniform from base to tips. The entire plant presents a powdery, almost mineral appearance, which naturally integrates into the rocky landscape.
The flower heads, small and yellowish, are arranged in narrow clusters along the stems. In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from August to September, but it largely goes unnoticed in favor of the foliage. Its status as a protected species in Switzerland testifies to its rarity and the fragility of its steppe habitat.
In cultivation, it requires a very well-drained, poor, stony soil, in a warm and sunny exposure. It remarkably withstands summer drought and is perfectly suited to dry rock gardens and steppe-style gardens.