Sweet William is native to the mountains of southern Europe from the Pyrenees east to the Carpathians and the Balkans, with a related variety in northeastern China, Korea, and southeasternmost Russia. It grows to 13–92 cm tall (depending on the variety) with green to glaucous blue-green tapered leaves. The flowers are produced in a dense cluster of up to 30 at the top of the stems (known as an umbel) and have a spicy, clove-like scent; in wild plants the petals are red with a white base.
