[4] A burl-forming, branched shrub to small tree up to 2 m tall, this species has thin, smooth bark that is colored reddish purple when young, sometimes found peeling off.

The margins of the leaves are rolled under, with the top side of the leaf a dark green and the underside white and hairy.

In Baja California, it is found from Tijuana south to the southern end of the Sierra de San Pedro Martir.

[7] In California, around 100 individuals are found growing north of the International Border on a single mesa near the Tijuana Hills.

The population in the United States is threatened by habitat fragmentation from the construction of roads, trails, and Border Patrol activities, such as "brush" clearing.