The flowers are 5–8 cm diameter, with 5 papery white petals, usually with a red to maroon spot at the base, surrounding the yellow stamens and pistils.

The whole plant is covered with the sticky exudate of fragrant resin, the source of labdanum, used in herbal medicine and perfumery.

It is an extremely aggressive plant which has taken over much of former farmland and grasslands in the mountain regions of central Spain and much of southern Portugal.

[3] The wide distribution and morphological variation of C. ladanifer across northern Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, and southern France has resulted in the recognition of three sub-species: subspp.

[11] Although its seeds fall close to the maternal plant,[12] C. ladanifer may have successfully dispersed due to its preference for disturbed habitats.