[1][3][4][5] Its specific epithet clevelandii honors 19th-century San Diego–based plant collector and lawyer Daniel Cleveland.

[6] It is endemic to the Peninsular Ranges of southern California and northern Baja California, where it grows in chaparral and oak woodland habitats, including in disturbed areas.

[7] Diplacus clevelandii is a sturdy perennial herb producing a hairy erect stem up to 90 centimeters tall from a woody caudex.

The hairy lance-shaped or oblong leaves are up to 10 centimeters long and oppositely arranged, often with smaller leaves growing in their axils.

The flower corolla is bright yellow and up to 4 centimeters in length with a wide, five-lobed mouth.