Hesperidanthus argillaceus is a perennial herb with one or more erect stems growing 13 to 30 centimeters tall from a caudex.

The leaves are linear in shape, long and narrow with smooth edges, and reach up to 4 centimeters in length.

The habitat is rocky, with steep cliffs of gypsum-rich clay covered in a layer of sandstone scree.

Other plants in the habitat include Torrey's jointfir (Ephedra torreyana), shadscale (Atriplex confertifolia), Nuttall's horsebrush (Tetradymia nuttallii), Utah serviceberry (Amelanchier utahensis), black sagebrush (Artemisia nova), lesser rushy milkvetch (Astragalus convallarius), Mojave brickellbush (Brickellia oblongifolia), yellow rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus), cushion buckwheat (Eriogonum ovalifolium), Fendler's sandmat (Euphorbia fendleri), granite prickly phlox (Linanthus pungens), fleshy beardtongue (Penstemon carnosus), rock goldenrod (Petradoria pumila), northern Indian parsnip (Cymopterus terebinthinus), Indian ricegrass (Stipa hymenoides), and shortspine horsebrush (Tetradymia spinosa).

Hesperidanthus argillaceus is limited to a small section of the Uinta basin in Uintah County.