[3][4] The plant can be found in six canyon systems in a southern section of this mountain range spanning about 32 kilometers.

[5][6] It is rare because it is limited to a specific type of mountain wetland which is both naturally uncommon and threatened by a number of forces.

Each head is 3[4] to 5[6] centimeters wide and long and has an involucre of phyllaries which are purple, curve outward, and taper into hard, toothed spines.

The plants root in water-filled cracks in the travertine rock of the canyon streams, tolerating constant saturation.

[7] The plant once occurred in a wider range of mountain wetland habitat in this area, but now it is mainly limited to steep rocky canyons that are inaccessible to livestock.

[3] The effect of livestock on the habitat became clear when animals were excluded from a sensitive area and the thistle proliferated in their absence.

[4] A 2010 update suggests that direct plant-plant competition is not a severe problem at this time, but that climate change could encourage it.

[5] A number of insects have been noted to feed on the plant, especially favoring the developing fruits in the seed heads.

[5] Noted insects include the gall fly Paracantha gentilis, the artichoke plume moth Platyptilia carduidactyla, the bumble flower beetle Euphoria inda, and the stem borer weevil Lixus pervestitus.