This annual species with a broadly Mediterranean distribution is present in all regions of Italy. It grows in dry grasslands and on uncultivated ground, often even in waste places, on primitive soils that are dry in summer, with optimum below the lower montane belt. The species is very rare on the edge of the Sardinian temporary ponds, in contact with dry grasslands. The genus name, from the Greek 'petros' (stone) and 'rhagas' (slit), refers to the ecology of the species, some of which root in the fissures of the rocks; the species name, from the Latin 'prolifer', itself derived from 'proles' (offspring), refers to the many flowers grouped within the bracts of the inflorescence. Flowering period: June to September.

Italian name(s): Erba tria de montagna (Liguria, Camporosso), Ganofaretto (Liguria, Porto Maurizio), Garofanina annuale (Italia), Garofolino salvego (Veneto, Verona), Petroragia prolifera (Italia), Strigoli (Toscana), Violina di tallo (Toscana).