Hieracium villosum

A perennial of the Asteraceae family, Hieracium villosum is native to the mountains of Central and Southern Europe, from the Alps to the Carpathians and the Balkans. It occupies rocky grasslands, stabilized scree, and crevices of limestone cliffs, generally between 1,500 and 2,800 meters, in full light and on well-drained substrates.

It forms a spreading basal rosette, 15 to 30 cm in height when in flower, whose foliage is the main attraction outside the flowering period. The leaves, oval to oblong, of medium green, are covered on both sides with long, dense, silky hairs, of a bright silvery white, giving them a soft texture and an almost plush appearance. The flowering stems, also abundantly hairy, bear a reduced number of capitula, usually one to three, of a bright and pure yellow, relatively large for the genus, with well-developed and finely toothed ligules.

In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from June to August. In cultivation, it occurs from May to July. Perfectly accommodating in rock gardens, it requires well-drained soil, preferably limestone, in full sun, and easily withstands dry summers. Its silvery foliage, bright even outside any flowering, makes it a reliable choice for the composition of alpine rock gardens.