European arnica

Arnica montana is a perennial herb of the daisy family (Asteraceae) growing from a short, aromatic rhizome. It forms a basal rosette of ovate to oblong, downy, bright-green leaves, from which rises an erect, usually unbranched flowering stem 20 to 60 cm tall bearing one or a few opposite stem leaves. The stem terminates in large, solitary or few daisy-like flower heads 5 to 8 cm across, with golden-yellow to orange ray florets surrounding a darker yellow disc; the heads are slightly hairy and emit a faint aromatic scent. The fruit is a small bristly achene topped by a tuft of pale pappus hairs. Native to the mountains and acidic, nutrient-poor meadows, pastures and heaths of Europe, from Iberia and the Alps north to Scandinavia, it flowers in early to mid summer. The plant is now legally protected across much of its range owing to over-collection and habitat loss.