It is endemic to California, where it is a member of the serpentine soils flora in the North Coast Ranges from the northern San Francisco Bay Area to Shasta County.

It is a small annual herb with many branches bearing dark lance-shaped leaves, the most basal ones having three small teeth.

Leaves and stems are lightly to densely covered with glandular hairs.

The inflorescence is a cluster of several flowers each about a centimeter wide.

The star-shaped flower has pointed violet lobes with yellowish bases coming together at a purple throat.