Originating from the mountainous terrains of Colombia and Ecuador between 6,400 and 13,500 feet above sea level. The large shrub has spiny stems producing white to pink flowers that turn to pink. Each flower head hosts 8 to 13 hairy ray florets and typically one or three disc florets, which upon maturation yield fruits adorned with either a plumelike or a bristle-like contorted pappus​. In traditional South American medicine, the genera Barnadesia are revered for their antitussive, expectorant, and anti-inflammatory properties.

One of two native Colombian species of the genus Barnadesia. The habitat is between 6,400 and 13,500 feet. Photographed in the eastern Andes mountain range of Colombia (Cordillera Oriental).