Perennial of the Brassicaceae family, native to the mountains of Anatolia, Turkey, where it grows in rocky screes, rock crevices, and alpine meadows on volcanic or limestone substrates, between approximately 2,000 and 3,500 meters.
It is one of the most compact drabas: it forms a tight cushion, almost glued to the rock, only a few centimeters high. The leaves are very small, oval, densely covered with stiff, star-shaped hairs that give them a characteristic woolly-grayish texture. The name acaulis, "without stem," perfectly describes this habit: the flowers seem to arise directly from the cushion, without a visible stalk.
The flowers have four well-spaced petals, of a bright and clear yellow, carried in clusters close to the foliage, creating a striking contrast between the gray density of the cushion and the bright brilliance of the flowers.
In its natural habitat, flowering extends from May to June depending on altitude. In cultivation, it often blooms as early as April.
It requires perfect drainage, full sun, and protection from stagnant winter moisture, which is fatal to it. It is ideally grown in a terracotta pot, alpine trough, or well-exposed rock crevice. A plant for discerning collectors, rewarding careful cultivation with remarkably straightforward flowering.