The epithet "hersheyi" honors the plant's discoverer, Arthur LeRoy Hershey, who collected it in 1944.

this name emerges from the fact that these plants are found in the Guadalupe Mountains in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico.

They originally blossom a light bluish color, then fading to white when mature and finally drying maroon.

[3][7] It is native to steep limestone cliffs in woodland and rocky Mountain montane coniferous forest communities, as well as walls, ledges and banks,[5] usually at 1,500–2,400 m (4,900–7,900 ft).

This implies that it is at moderate risk of extirpation, or extinction, in its jurisdiction due to its restricted range.