Perennial sub-shrub of the Asteraceae family, Celmisia viscosa is endemic to New Zealand's South Island, where it occupies alpine meadows, herbfields, fellfields, and stable screes, from the upper montane zone to the alpine level, mainly east of the Marlborough watershed line southwards.
It forms clumps that can reach two meters in diameter, with persistent woody stems bearing subulate rosettes of long, narrow, and rigid leaves, 60 to 150 mm long, strongly longitudinally veined on the bright green upper surface, and covered with a white appressed tomentum on the lower surface. The leaves are arched to recurved towards the tip. Their marked viscosity, noticeable to the touch, is the most distinctive feature of the species, giving rise to its name and its common name of sticky mountain daisy. The species is highly variable in the appearance of its foliage depending on the populations.
The capitula, 30 to 40 mm in diameter, are borne on robust and viscous scapes; the ligules are white and the disc yellow. In its natural habitat, flowering extends from December to February. In cultivation under our latitudes, it generally occurs in June-July.
It requires perfect drainage, full sun exposure, and protection against stagnant moisture in winter.