It is native to northwestern Mexico, California, and Arizona,[2] and is found commonly on sandy or silty soil.

[3] The sole species of the genus has been housed under several genera before it was split into Thingia: Claytonia in 1882, Calandrinia in 1893, and Cistanthe in 1990.

It was found that the two species were most closely related to completely separate South American taxa.

Its leaves are narrow and clasp the stem at their base; each leaf blade is 1.5–6 centimetres (0.6–2.4 in) long.

[6] The genus has several distinctive characteristics that differentiate it from closely related taxa.