It is a matting shrub which bears small fleshy leaves and tiny yellowish flowers.

It is a plant of the dry mountainous scrub, where it grows on gritty limestone cliffs.

July gold is a rare plant, and its populations are scattered due to its specific niche habitat.

It is also a poor reproducer; only about 1% of its flower ovules produce viable seed.

The genus was named for California botanist Mary C. DeDecker.