[1] The type specimen that Carlgren used to describe the species was collected by Ed Ricketts in Puerto Escondido during his trip to the Gulf of California with John Steinbeck recounted in The Log From the Sea of Cortez.

Unlike some similar sea anemones, these vesicles are not adhesive,[2] and thus the column of Bunodosoma californica will typically be clean, not covered with bits of shell or other detritus.

The basic color of the tentacles is the same as the column, and some individuals may show rose, purple or orange tints.

[2] Bunodosoma californicum lives on rocky bottoms from the intertidal zone to the subtidal.

They reproduce by broadcast spawning, releasing eggs and sperm into the sea to achieve fertilization.