Cultivar with behavior similar to the type species, but remarkable for its distinctly more complex tricolored foliage: the leaves combine cream, carmine-pink, purple, and green, in an irregular distribution that varies according to individuals and the season. The brightness of the site strongly influences the intensity of the variegation.
Less vigorous than 'Atropurpurea', which can be an advantage in rock gardens or in compositions where better control of its spread is desired.
The flowering, identical to that of the species, consists of blue-violet spikes in spring.