Cuckoo flower is 10 to 50 cm high, perennial and herbaceous plant. It blooms in June-August and the color of its flower ranges from white to violet. The leaves of Cuckoo flower grow on its stem and their shape is dependent on their location.

Cuckoo flower flourishes in moist conditions and can be found by shores, on moist meadows, in ditches and by stream sides. Its area of distribution covers almost all of Europe with the exception of the most southern parts, and extends through Siberia all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Cuckoo flower occurs also in North America in Canada, Alaska and northern parts of the United States.

The leaves and flowers of Cuckoo flower are edible and the species is collected by wild herb enthusiasts. The taste is similar to watercress. Several pollinators like bees, butterflies and hoverflies visit the flowers of Cuckoo flower.

As a common species Cuckoo flower requires no conservation measures to secure its occurrence, but some of its habitats are protected as key biotopes for biodiversity.