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A perennial from the Asteraceae family, this subspecies is endemic to Greece, where it grows on calcareous rocks, screes, and dry alpine meadows, mainly in the mountain ranges of the Peloponnese and Central Greece, between approximately 800 and 1,800 meters. It belongs to a group of acaulescent or subacaulescent species characteristic of Mediterranean-mountainous rocky environments.
Its habit is remarkably stocky and compact: the plant forms a low rosette, almost flattened against the ground, with no notable upright stem. The leaves are pinnately lobed to pinnatisect, medium green, slightly grayish and pubescent, with a soft texture. The capitulum, sessile or nearly so, emerges directly from the heart of the rosette, lying flush with the foliage.
It is the involucre that immediately catches the eye: the scales are swollen, dark brown to blackish, shiny, armed with rigid radiating spines, forming a compact and almost spherical structure with an armored appearance, more reminiscent of a sea urchin than a centaury involucre. From this bristling ensemble emerge tubular flowers of a bright pink-purple to intense magenta, with stamens topped with small, conspicuous white pom-poms, creating a striking contrast with the black of the involucre.
In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from May to July depending on altitude. In cultivation, it requires absolute drainage, a poor and stony calcareous substrate, and full sun. It is advantageously grown in a pot or alpine trough, sheltered from excessive winter moisture. One of the most spectacular centauries for the alpine rock garden.