Perennial of the Brassicaceae family, Draba longirostris is a plant of the limestone reliefs of the Balkans, known notably from Bosnia and Herzegovina, where it has been collected on the ridges and screes of the Konj massif, around 1200 to 1850 meters in altitude.
It forms small, very compact cushions, composed of rosettes pressed tightly against each other, characterized by green-grey foliage densely covered with a whitish to yellowish pubescence that gives it a particularly striking woolly and felted appearance. This hairy characteristic, clearly visible on the leaves as well as on the stems, is an adaptation to the harsh conditions of exposed ridges: wind, cold, poor and dry stony substrate.
Its natural habitat is that of rocky and limestone screes at altitude, in full light, on a very draining soil to almost nonexistent between the stones.
In cultivation, it requires a sunny exposure, rigorous drainage and protection against stagnant winter moisture. It finds its place in gravel limestone rockeries or in alpine troughs, where its meticulous cushions can be closely observed.