Perennial of the Plantaginaceae family, native to the Balkans and the Balkan Peninsula, where it colonizes forest edges, grassy banks, rocky slopes, and dry meadows on limestone substrates, between 200 and 1,200 meters above sea level.
It forms a rosette of narrow, glabrous, lanceolate leaves of a deep green, from which rise erect and robust stems of 60 to 120 cm, bearing a dense and very full spike, remarkably tight. The flowers, small and numerous, are whitish to cream, finely veined with brown-rust and fawn, with an elongated, white and prominent lower lip, giving the whole spike a precise and elaborate appearance, clearly visible on cultivated spikes.
In its natural habitat, flowering extends from June to August. In cultivation, it generally occurs from June to July.
It is one of the most exploited foxgloves in pharmacology: it is the main industrial source of digoxin, a cardiac glycoside still used in medicine. It is cultivated in well-drained soil, preferably limestone, in full sun or light partial shade, and readily reseeds itself.