Perennial of the Asteraceae family, Celmisia monroi is an endemic species of the South Island of New Zealand, where it grows in alpine and subalpine meadows, on well-drained substrates, at altitudes between approximately 900 and 1,600 meters.
It forms a low, spreading basal rosette, lying close to the ground, with a very different habit from the bushy species of the genus. The leaves are broad, spatulate to oblong, with well-marked longitudinal veins, covered with a dense tomentum that gives them a very uniform silvery-gray to pale green hue. The leaf margins, slightly wavy, are bordered with a lighter silvery edge. This prostrate and geometric foliage, almost mineral in its color, is one of the most distinctive traits of the species.
The solitary capitula bear pure white ligules around a yellow disc. In its natural habitat, flowering extends from December to January. In cultivation in the northern hemisphere, it generally occurs in June.
It requires a well-drained, acidic to neutral soil, in full light, with protection against stagnant moisture in winter. Its silvery, low, and geometric rosette is particularly suited to the alpine trough or the well-tended rock garden.