It is native to North America, where it is known from southern Alberta and Saskatchewan through a section of the central United States toward the desert southwest in California, Arizona, and New Mexico.

It can be found in several types of habitat, including sandy and scrubby desert regions and sagebrush.

Tripterocalyx micranthus is erect and branched but generally compact, its hairy, glandular stem reaching a maximum length near 60 centimeters.

The inflorescence is a head of several elongated flowers borne on long, glandular pedicels all attached at the small central receptacle.

The fruit has wide, thin, net-veined or ribbed wings extending from a central body.