It is a perennial plant native to central and southern Europe, the Middle East, and north Africa, and grows up to fifteen centimetres (six inches) tall.

The name sylvestris comes from the word silvestris meaning "living in the woods" in Latin.

The southern daisy's creeping roots are rhizomes.

The plant bears fruits called achenes.

[2] B. sylvestris is morphologically similar to Bellis pappulosa but has no scales on the pappus of the seeds, unlike B.