It is native to the southwestern United States in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, and in Mexico in the states of Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas.

Trixis californica is one of 22 species in Trixis, a genus that occurs in North America, Central America, the West Indies, northern Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil.

The inflorescence is terminal, usually a panicle or corymb, but sometimes the heads are borne singly at the tips of branches.

Its habitat types include rocky hillsides, thorn scrub, and desert washes and brush.

Though it usually flowers between February and October, it may bloom nearly year-round depending on winter weather conditions.