It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it occurs in Garfield, Mesa, and Rio Blanco Counties.

[2][3] This perennial herb is coated thickly in branching hairs, appearing silvery.

[4] This plant grows on shale barrens in the Piceance Basin of Colorado.

[3] Its substrate originates from the Parachute Creek Member of the Green River Formation.

[4] The habitat is pinyon-juniper woodland, and associated plant species include Pinus edulis, Juniperus osteosperma, Astragalus lutosus, Galium coloradense, Oryzopsis hymenoides, and buckwheats, thistles, and penstemons.