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Phlomis fruticosa is a shrub from the Lamiaceae family, native to the eastern Mediterranean basin, from Greece to the coasts of Lebanon and Turkey, where it grows on dry and rocky slopes, in open garrigues and light maquis, in full sunlight.
It forms a dense and rounded bush, with woody stems at the base, reaching 80 to 120 cm in height and spread. The leaves are oval, thick, with a grayish-green upper surface and densely white-gray tomentose underneath, giving them a very distinctive velvety appearance to the touch and eye. The flower buds form in woolly balls clearly visible before anthesis.
The bilabiate flowers, bright yellow to golden yellow, are grouped in tight whorls at the nodes of the upright flowering stems. The upper lip, distinctly arched and hairy on the outside, is a distinctive feature of the genus. In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from May to June; in cultivation under mild climates, it can start as early as April.
It requires well-drained soil, poor to moderately fertile, in a sunny exposure. Hardy down to about -10°C according to sources, it suffers more from winter humidity than from cold. A light pruning after flowering maintains a compact shape.