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Perennial of the Asteraceae family, this Pyrenean strain occupies rocky lawns, ridges, and calcareous screes between 1,800 and 2,800 meters in altitude. The Pyrenean population, at the western limit of the species' natural range, is considered rare and localized, which gives it particular interest for collections of precise provenance.
What immediately strikes about this strain is the very developed tomentum that covers the entire plant, leaves as well as bracts, with a dense and homogeneous silvery-white gray, much more pronounced than on the Slovenian form. The bracts are wide, spatulate, arranged in a broad and generous star. The central capitula, multiple and well-grouped, present their bright yellow-green florets at maturity, creating a luminous contrast at the heart of the inflorescence. Outside of flowering, the basal rosettes, with oval-spatulate and densely tomentose leaves, form small low tufts with an almost woolly appearance, remarkable from spring.
In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from July to August. In cultivation, it generally occurs in June-July.
It requires a very well-drained soil, poor to moderately calcareous, in full sun, with a mineral mulch at the collar. Comparison with other provenances cultivated side by side clearly reveals the extent of morphological variations within the species.