Rhodiola rosea is a perennial plant of the high altitudes of the northernmost reaches of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, China, Mongolia, and Russia, and also of Tibet. It bears spikes of blue-green leaves bearing a single yellow flower that blooms during the brief arctic summer. The plant grows in areas up to 2280 meters elevation. Several shoots grow from the same thick root. Shoots reaches 5 to 35 cm in height. Rhodiola rosea is dioecious – having separate female and male plants.