It is endemic to northern California, where it is known from the North Coast Ranges and southern Klamath Mountains.

It is a resident of dry mountain scrub habitat, often on serpentine soils.

It is a perennial herb producing a single stem with a basal rosette of leaves from a rhizome.

The inflorescence contains one or more flower heads, each lined with woolly, green- or red-tipped phyllaries.

The head bears up to 13 narrow ray florets which are a distinctive orange or red-orange in color.