Biannual herbaceous plant that reaches 1 m in height and grows abundantly in meadows in full sun and tolerates half shade. Widespread throughout Europe, in Spain widely spread throughout the territory to the high valleys of the Pyrenees and other mountains. The juice is used in cosmetics as an effective emollient for delicate and reddened skin. The root gives a red dye for tissues and is used in the form of infusion to cure colds and fresh leaves for nail beds.