This annual plant with a broadly Mediterranean distribution is present in all regions of Italy except in Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia (of dubious occurrence in Valle d’Aosta). It grows in fallow fields and on barren ground, below the montane belt. The species is sporadic in the outer belt of the Sardinian temporary ponds, in contact with dry grasslands and garrigue vegetation. The genus name derives from the Latin 'filum' (thread), for the dense and tiny hairs that cover stems and leaves; the species name refers to Gaul (France), where the species is present. Flowering period: May to August.

Italian name(s): Bambagia francese (Italia), Bambagia salvatica (Toscana, Poggibonsi), Brentine (Toscana, Val di Chiana), Canapicchia (Toscana, Val di Chiana), Canutole (Toscana, Val di Chiana), Curuna di monacu (Sicilia), Cuttunigna (Sicilia), Erba della Madonna (Toscana, Scandicci), Erba velia (Toscana, Scandicci), Erva cuttunedda (Sicilia), Fignamichino (Toscana), Filago gallica (Italia), Filonica (Toscana, Scandicci), Piè di gatto (Toscana), Trespini (Toscana, Val di Chiana).