It has 3-6 basal lance-shaped leaves, 4–15 millimetres (0.16–0.59 in) wide and 7–15 centimetres (2.8–5.9 in) long.

The inflorescence is a dense, conical or pyramid-like raceme with 5-30 bright violet-blue star-like flowers.

It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

[8][9] This species is native to the central Mediterranean region, in northwestern Italy, in southern France, and in northeastern Spain.

[10] It can be found in olive groves, in dry and stony meadows and in clearings of forests at an elevation up to 1,700 metres (5,600 ft) above sea level.