Daphne blagayana flowers on the sunny wooded slopes of Polhograjska Gora and Grmada in April and May. A small shrub of the Thymelaeaceae family, it grows up to 30 cm high.

The leaves are evergreen, leathery, undivided and smooth-edged. They are spirally arranged. At the tips of the shoots are inflorescences of pale yellow blossoms. The blossoms have short stalks, four connate petals with eight stamens but no sepals.

Thriving on limestone and dolomite, it is most frequently seen in alpine and subalpine regions. Daphne blagayana habitats are found as high as 1,900 metres above sea level.

In Slovenia it also grows on Zaplana, Kopitnik and possibly elsewhere. Apart from Slovenia, Daphne blagayana can be found in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and northwest Italy.

Daphne blagayana was discovered in 1837 on Polhograjska Gora near Polhov Gradec. The flower was named after Slovenian botanist Count Rihard Ursini Blagay, who lived in Polhov Gradec.

This species of daphne was first described by Henrik Freyer, and its habitat was visited by Frederick Augustus II, King of Saxony. Because of his visit the flower is also known as the royal flower.

Count Rihard Ursini Blagay erected a monument to the royal visit at the foot of Polhograjska Gora.

In Slovenia Daphne blagayana has been protected since 1898.