Germination generally happens from spring to early summer and seeds are produced over summer. It dies off when frosty weather arrives.

Fathen is a tall, upright, leafy plant. It can appear, especially as a younger plant, like it is covered in white dust (see photo).

The leaf shape can vary quite a bit from having almost no teeth along the margin to having very jagged margins. Those that are most jagged along the margins are often actually Nettle-leaved Fathen.