Perennial of the Asteraceae family, this species is native to Syria and Lebanon, where it grows on rocky slopes, limestone screes, and arid cliffs of the mountainous regions, in conditions of marked summer drought. It belongs to a group of eastern Mediterranean species with highly dissected and silvered foliage, adapted to open and sunny environments.
It forms low and very dense clumps, almost cushion-like, generally not exceeding 20 to 30 centimeters in height, with a compact and regular habit particularly attractive outside of flowering. The foliage is its most immediately visible asset: the leaves are finely bipinnatifid to tripinnatifid, from silvery gray to silky white, with an almost woolly texture, giving the plant a frosted and luminous appearance in all seasons.
The capitula are solitary, borne on short stems, with bright yellow ligules surrounding a central disc of the same hue, forming small simple and neat flowers that stand out against the silvery carpet of foliage.
In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from June to August. In cultivation under our climates, it generally occurs between May and July.
It requires perfect drainage and full sun exposure; it is much more wary of stagnant winter moisture than of cold itself. Ideal for dry rock gardens, walls, and gravel gardens, it is appreciated as much for its evergreen foliage as for its flowering.