Plants resprouting after fire; burl basal or epicormic.

Flowering late spring. High-elevation forests and montane chaparral; 600-2000 m; Calif.

Subspecies knightii occurs in the northern North Coast Ranges (Del Norte and Humboldt counties), sometimes at lower elevations on serpentinelike soils. It probably extends into southern Oregon but this has yet to be confirmed by field observation and collections.