Barbary ragwort is an evergreen perennial or subshrub making a woody based, succulent plant with sessile (lacking a leaf stalk), alternate, spatulate (paddle-like), 3 in long leaves held upright on decumbent stems. Gold daisy flowers, 2 to 3 in in diameter are carried on stem terminals and held just above the foliage. The aster-like flowers are composed of a semi-spherical mass of florets surrounded by the showy ray florets. Seed heads are rounded masses of small seeds attached to fuzzy, white tails which aids in seed dispersal similar to the common dandelion. Flowers appear from mid-winter through spring followed closely by the seed heads.

Barbary ragwort is native to Northern Africa in Tunisia and Algeria where it grows in sunny, well-drained locations making it an ideal plant for rock gardens and containers.