Dianthus steinbergii is a perennial of the Caryophyllaceae family, endemic to the South-Eastern Alps, mainly known from the Maritime Alps and the Ligurian Apennines, where it grows on rocky lawns, screes, and limestone ridges between approximately 1,500 and 2,500 meters.
It forms a dense and rounded cushion, clearly visible outside of flowering, of narrow linear leaves, glaucous to grey-green, tight and prickly to the touch, giving the plant at rest an almost spherical and very distinct shape. The flowering stems rise 10-20 cm above the cushion.
The flowers are pink to bright pink-lilac, with petals deeply and finely fringed, lacerated up to mid-length, with a well-marked white center from which the cutouts radiate. The flowering is very generous, completely covering the cushion. In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from July to August. In cultivation, it can start as early as June.
It requires a very well-drained, poor, limestone soil, in full sun, and tolerates summer drought well once established. Its combination of a compact cushion shape outside of flowering and such abundant and colorful flowering makes it a sought-after subject for well-tended rock gardens and alpine gardens.