It is endemic to California, where it grows in the woodlands and forests of the mountain ranges of the central and northern regions of the state.

Collinsia tinctoria is an annual herb producing a sturdy erect stem up to about 60 centimeters tall.

The oppositely arranged leaves are triangular lance-shaped, sometimes toothed, and hairy on the undersides.

The flower has five elongated sepals with rounded tips, the corolla angling sharply down from the mouth of the calyx.

The corolla may be any of several colors from white to yellow to deep lavender and may be mottled or speckled and tinted in the throat.