The species are native to northeastern Mexico and adjacent areas of Texas, United States.

The nutlet wing can be turned upwards, creating a navel-like shape, similar to the fruits of Omphalodes.

In three species, M. omphalodoides, M. benitomartinezii, and M. richardsonii, the wings of the navel-shaped nutlets are beset with small barbed glochidia.

[1] The barbed glochidia on the nutlet wing was a character that led Greenman to describe his new species, Mimophytum omphalodoides, in new genus.

[4] A later phylogenetic placement of the type species of Mimophytum within the North American clade of Omphalodes confirmed the suggested close relationship, leading to the taxonomic transfer of most of the native North American Omphalodes names to Mimophytum.