The plant is a rosette-forming perennial herb, with leafless, silky, hairy flower stems, growing to 45 centimetres (17+1⁄2 in) tall,[5] exceptionally 90 cm (35 in).

[6] The basal leaves are lanceolate spreading or erect, scarcely toothed with 3–5 strong parallel veins narrowed to a short petiole.

Flowers are 4 millimetres (1⁄8 in), with a green calyx and brownish corolla, four bent-back lobes with brown midribs and long white stamens.

[8] Reproduction occurs sexually, with the pollen being wind dispersed for the most part, though the plant is occasionally pollinated by bees.

[11] The species can live anywhere from very dry meadows to places similar to a rain forest,[12] but it does best in open, disturbed areas.

It is therefore common near roadsides where other plants cannot flourish; it grows tall if it can do so, but in frequently mowed areas it adopts a flat growth habit instead.

Species such as Junonia coenia, Spilosoma congrua, and Melitaea cinxia lay their eggs on P. lanceolata plants so they can serve as a food source for the larvae when they hatch.

Then, after a few weeks or months lesions start to appear covering the entire surface of the leaves and the stem, making it very noticeable.

They cover the surface of the leaves and extend hyphae into the cell matrix in order to extract nutrients.